Abseiling by type of spider

Spider silk fascinates scientists for a long time - mainly because, despite its thin thread, it is tear resistant.

Spider in her net.

Now, however, a British-Chinese researcher has investigated another feature: the anti-twist effect of spider silk. For why do spins not turn when they get down at their thread? As the scientists in Applied Physics Letters write, spider silk deforms slightly during rotation, which absorbs the rotational energy.

The researchers suspect that this is due to the physical structure of the spider's silk. You do not yet know how to replicate this anti-twist effect on synthetic ropes. This could be useful for rope ladders on helicopters or for ropes on parachutes.