人造蜘蛛絲首個商業化產品誕生，這條領帶售價314美元 | This $314 Tie is Made With Spider’s Silk

人造蜘蛛絲首個商業化產品誕生，這條領帶售價314美元

曾經炒得非常熱的科技創想，如碳納米管太空電梯、納米機器人修復人體細胞、蜘蛛絲防彈背心等，今天大都還處於藍圖階段。但對於蛛絲材料，有好消息告訴大家：近日，一款限量版蛛絲領帶已經開售，標價314.15美元！

日前，一家名為Bolt Threads的公司，在德克薩斯州奧斯汀的西南偏南（South by Southwest，SXSW）上發布了這款蜘蛛絲領帶，是首個商業化的蛛絲產品。 Bolt的首席科學家David Breslauer聲稱，蛛絲製品的推出，表明蜘蛛絲纖維和紡織品已具備了大規模生產的條件。

想買的朋友不要心急，目前蛛絲領帶還沒有進入商場銷售。該公司僅在其網站上限量放出50條。 Breslauer說，領帶只是一個展示品，Bolt將很快發布更多新產品，但他拒絕透露任何細節。

蜘蛛絲所具有的特性令生物材料研究人員和公眾著迷了很長時間。蜘蛛絲蛋白結構中，即有高強度的部分，又有高彈性的透明體，賦予了這種材料非常優異的性能。實驗測試發現，單股蜘蛛絲的強度甚至可以與鋼絲和製作防彈背心的凱夫拉縴維相抗衡。蜘蛛絲也分很多種，不同種類的蜘蛛拉出的絲在結構上有很多獨特的變化。

Bolt Threads公司人工合成蜘蛛絲過程

一些初創公司正試圖在實驗室內復制蜘蛛的獨門技術。許多像Bolt一樣的公司，利用天然絲蛋白基因序列，在微生物發酵罐中進行生長，然後將它們紡成蛋白纖維。

不過，也有失敗的例子。去年五月，日本的Spiber公司曾宣布，要開始在日本的NorthFace店銷售標價1,000美元的蜘蛛絲大衣，這在當時曾引起不小轟動。但到9月底，Spiber推遲了產品發布，理由是“需要改進生產工藝，以提高產品質量的穩定性”。 Spiber的一位代表通過電子郵件告訴外界，公司還在繼續學習製造過程，產品的具體發佈時間不能確定。
美國塔夫茨大學的研究員菲奧倫佐·奧梅內托（Fiorenzo Omenetto）評價說，Bolt的領帶作為“實驗室合成天然材料的有形示範”具有非常重要的意義，這標誌著生物製造紡織品及其他材料的時代已經到來。

Breslauer說他已越來越意識到合成蜘蛛絲的重要性。 “蜘蛛絲的魅力促使我想去製作一些材料，例如防彈背心用的纖維。”他說，“Bolt製作領帶用的絲還不算是超級纖維，顯然，超級纖維目前來說更難製造。”

事實上，人工合成蜘蛛絲似乎同許多其他新材料一樣，正在經歷從大肆宣傳到現實驗證的發展軌跡。若實驗室出來一項激動人心的發現，隨之而來的是對它一切可能進入領域的漫天猜測，然而，深入研究的結果及市場反應可能展現的又是另一番情景。

但也不能說類似人造蛛絲的東西沒有用處。 Breslauer聲稱，一旦Bolt實現更大規模生產，他們將對絲蛋白進行改造，使其更容易吸附染料，這將大大降低處理過程的耗水量。並且還可能生產像醫療植入物一樣可生物降解的蛛絲服裝。

新聞來源：搜狐科技


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This $314 Tie is Made With Spider’s Silk

Although it sounds like a sci-fi dream wrapped in an Onion article, Bolt Threads—a San Francisco-based startup that wants to disrupt the retail industry by mass-producing spider silk—is very much a real thing.

Real enough, in fact, that it not only convinced high-profile funds including Formation 8 and Founders Fund to invest more than $90 million, it also just unveiled its first product: a spider silk tie made from genetically modified yeast fermented in tanks.

Priced at $314, as TechCrunch reports, it doesn't come cheap. That said, the price tag includes the tie itself plus some built-in conversation starters. In addition to the aforementioned tanks of yeast, the tie is a good vehicle for casually referencing scientists’ previous failed attempts at mass producing spider silk (a valuable material that is tougher than regular silk and can be machine washed.)

For example, it allows you to say things like:

“Did you know that a spider silk farm in Madagascar was able to produce 80 feet of silk despite the fact that the spiders started eating each other?”

Or, “It’s too bad those Canadian scientists who genetically mutated goats to produce spider silk proteins in their udders didn’t realize the production process would be so costly.”

For those thinking, ‘Great, sounds like a fair trade-off, I’m going to SXSW and need some help with the small talk, where can I order one?’ — if only life worked like that. While the tie is being unveiled at Austin festival, the company has only produced 50 of them so you need to enter a lottery to “win” the opportunity to buy one.

Silly marketing stunts aside, Bolt Threads' ambitions are more serious. Ultimately, it wants to use the DNA of spiders and other organisms to synthesize high-performance materials. To this end, it secured a deal with Patagonia to help develop new fabrics for the outdoor gear retailers. Spider silks’ properties, which include incredible strength, durability, flexibility, and the ability to conduct heat, make more sense for athletic gear or winter jackets than they do for ties.

Original Article: FORTUNE