From Fox News.com (Oct. 24):
Older than the dinosaurs, slime from a primitive creature could be used for future bulletproof body armor.
The hagfish is more than 300 million years old and it lives out of sight in the deepest depths of the ocean. Without a jaw, this spineless ancient creature scavenges the ocean floor for food.
It feasts on dying animals from the inside out and although it is snakelike, hagfish do not have scales. To defend itself, the hagfish unleashes slime (similar to slime featured in "Ghostbusters") - and it is this slime that has military scientists excited.
Spider silk has long been pursued as an option to building ultralight weight and ultra-strong body armor. Hagfish slime threads are almost as strong and light as spider silk, but could prove far easier to harvest in the necessary large volumes to be practical.
Made of mucus and threadlike fibers, the clear slime’s fibers are ultra-strong and flexible.
………………
How could it be used for body armor?
The slime is simple, but incredibly strong with very interesting properties with great defense potential.
When the wet fibers are stretched and dried out, the fibers become a sort of soft thread that could be woven to create a range of apparel materials.
Scientists believe that this hagfish slime, and its ultra-strong stretchy thread, could be the key to next-level bullet-proof vests. [read more]
Sounds disgusting, but hey if it’s promising why not give it a try? More often than not nature has the answer to many problems.
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