1.   And when they considered the possible uses of spider silk, they were astounded.

2.   Fleming helped Elion launch a company to develop and market the genetically engineered spider silk.

3.   Kevlar is three times harder to break than Nephila silk, but the spider silk is five times more elastic.

4.   Meanwhile, Nexia Biotechnologies Inc. in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, has already genetically engineered goats to produce spider silk.

5.   Tapping spider silk for commercial use, however, is problematic.

6.   Technology has evolved, providing ever thinner tippet material, incredible nanohooks and rods equipped to cast dandelion seeds on spider silk.

7.   The properties of spider silk have long been recognized.

8.   Thus there are strong economic and environmental incentives for finding a way to make spider silk artificially.

9.   Yet pound for pound, the sturdiest spider silks are stronger than steel and stretchier than nylon.

10.   Other attempts to duplicate spider silk have required use of harsh chemicals that would not be practical to work with on a large scale, Lewis said.