Silk is one of the strongest fibers found in nature.

It is said that if a spider was the size of a human,

the web that we made would be strong enough to stop a jet liner.

It's Monday, April 29th, and you're listening to Science Friday. I'm Cyfry producer Kathleen Davis.

Silk is synonymous with luxury.

Silk is synonymous with luxury,

and unlike other textiles, it's made most commonly by insects.

Insects with whom humans have a 4,000 year history.

Since silk has the unique ability to be both super strong and biodegradable,

researchers are looking at using it as an alternative for plastics.

Guest host Ariel Dumas Ross speaks with Dr Arrede Prasad,

biologist and author of a new book, Silk, a World History.

Welcome to Science Friday.

Thank you for having me, I'm very happy to be here.

So you wrote an entire book about the history of silk and its properties.

What drove you to focus on a single type of fiber?

I actually came to silk because I was interested in regenerative medicine so the idea that you can use

and substance from natural world and put it into your body and encourage the body to heal itself and I discovered that there were many technologies being developed using silk as a base and then I started looking at what kind of silk was used for that purpose and then realized that it wasn't the only silk and there were all these other animals but also places from which silk originated and then I realize it probably is the oldest material that's been in continuous use and has this surprising future.

And you also have a personal history with silk as well, right?

Yes, so I have an Indian mother and or my Indian aunties always wore silk

because in the east it's a it is a luxurious

fabric but it's something that's very special and it's worn for you know special occasions

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