In the News
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KSL Wednesday, Apr. 25, 2018
USU Goats' Milk Produces Material as Strong as Spider Webs
There is something very different about the goats at Utah State University’s south farm in Wellsville. For starters, the nearly two dozen animals are called ‘spider goats’ and it is not because of their looks or personality. They earned that title because their milk produces a special protein that can be turned into a material just as strong as a spider’s web. ... Through a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer, these goats inherited a gene that gives their milk a certain protein that scientists make into a variety of strong materials. “We purify the milk’s protein and we spin fibers or make gels or coatings or whatever else we want from that,” USU Biology professor Randy Lewis said.“We can make things like strong adhesives, stronger than Gorilla Glue, and materials that can replace carbon fiber,” he said. ... He said they eventually hope to use the spider silk material to form durable artificial ligaments for people who have injured their knees or shoulders. ... Researchers at USU said they are in the beginning stages, but they are making progress and have found a way to create the material on a larger scale.