Greco, G., Mastellari, V., Holland, C. orcid.org/0000-0003-0913-2221 et al. (1 more author) (2021) Comparing modern and classical perspectives on spider silks and webs. Perspectives on Science, 29 (2). pp. 133-156. ISSN 1063-6145
Abstract
Spiders have always fascinated humankind as whilst they are often reviled, their product, the web and its silk, are commonly viewed in awe. As such, silks’ material properties and the fear and fascination surrounding the animals that spin it are seen to play an important role in the development of many cultures and societies. More recently this is even more so with the formalization of this inspiration in scientific and technical communities through biomimetics. The aim of this work is to reflect on the beginnings of our relationship with silk and discuss concepts associated with spider silks and webs in ancient Greek and Roman times whilst comparing this with our current understanding of the field. In this way, ancient texts, namely Greek and Latin ones, are found to intersect with modern advanced disciplines, ranging from architecture to medicine to physics. This allows us not only to understand how natural observation has evolved from antiquity to today, but also how such a highly interdisciplinary research network has been spun by some shared conceptual threads.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 14 May 2021 09:04 |
Last Modified: | 01 Oct 2021 00:39 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MIT Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1162/posc_a_00363 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:174115 |