Spider silk is turning out to be a remarkably versatile material. Aside from having a higher heat conductivity than any other organic matter and proteins for inserting genes into cells, strings from a ...

Countless strands of spider silk have been spun by a Japanese researcher to create a set of violin strings. The strings apparently have a "soft and profound timbre" compared to the traditional gut or ...

A Japanese researcher has taken 300 spiders and used those arachnids to harvest silk in enough quantity to create a full set of violin strings. The researcher is Shigeyoshi Osaki from Japan's Nara ...

The world’s best violins come with strings made from catgut—which isn’t typically from cats, but does definitely come from the inside of an animal. If you want a more vegetarian alternative, though, ...