The webs we weave: How Spidey science holds up in the real world

What would happen if a genetically engineered spider bit a human being? Could Spider-Man really do everything a spider can? The science isn’t all baloney. Spider silk is truly one of the world’s most impressive biomaterials. It’s a protein made from compounds secreted by up to seven different glands, with the average spider having at least three. Each strand is made up thousands of nanostrands, making spider silk five times stronger than steel of the same width, researchers from the US’s College of William and Mary have found. Their study was published in the journal ACS Macro Letters in 2018.