导读:蜘蛛丝是自然界最强的材料之一，强度高、重量轻、可降解，是理想的材料之一。
Supple, light and biodegradable but stronger than steel: researchers said Monday they have succeeded in producing synthetic spider silk, one of nature’s strongest materials.
有一种材料柔软、轻盈、可降解，但是强度比钢铁还高：本周一研究人员表示称，他们成功生产出了合成蜘蛛丝--自然界最强大的材料之一。
Refined through the long process of evolution, the silk threads spun by spiders are 30 times thinner than a human hair and stronger even than Kevlar, a synthetic fibre used in making bullet-proof vests.
通过长期进化进行改良，蜘蛛吐出的丝比人的头发丝细30倍，但是强度却比合成纤维凯拉夫尔（即纤维B）还要高，后者常常用来制作防弹背心。
Scientists have long strived to copy the unique properties of the threads -- essentially long chains of linked protein molecules.
科学家们一直试图复制这种具有独特性质的丝线--它本质上是蛋白质分子长链。
When spinning, the spider secretes a protein solution through a narrow duct, along which the acidity changes and pressure increases, causing the molecules to form chains.
当吐丝时，蜘蛛会通过一个狭窄的通道分泌出一种蛋白质溶液，顺着这条通道酸度会发生变化、压力也会增大，从而导致蛋白子分子形成链条。
But spiders are difficult to farm, producing small quantities of silk, and with a propensity for eating each other.
但是蜘蛛很难生产出蛛丝，它们往往只会吐出很少量的丝，而且有互相蚕食的倾向。
Now a team from Sweden said they have managed to copy the spider’s feat using proteins in E.coli bacteria and a "spinning apparatus" which mimics the pH changes that spiders use to make silk.
现在来自瑞典的一个团队表示称，他们已经成功复制了蜘蛛的高超技艺，使用的是大肠杆菌中的蛋白质、以及一个仿照蜘蛛吐丝时PH值发生变化的“吐丝器”。
"This allowed us for the first time to spin artificial spider silk without using harsh chemicals," study co-author Jan Johansson of the Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences in Uppsala told AFP.
来自瑞典乌普萨拉农业科学大学的联合作者约翰逊告诉法新社称：“这使得我们第一次在不使用化学物质的情况下制造出了人造蛛丝。”
The threads are bio-compatible and may prove useful in regenerative medicine, the team said.
据该团队表示称，这种丝线是生物相容的，在再生医学中也可能会有用。
