Why don't we have spider-silk rope?

[Nedron]

It really does not make sense how we don't have spider-silk rope. Considering our level of technology, I could be it would be surely possible to manufacture some, it would be one of the most useful advancements yet.

If you either hate spiders or know not-so-much about them, the reason spider-silk rope should be made is because of it's tensile strength. It may not make sense, considering how easy it is for us to rip apart webs with barely any effort, but that is only because of how thin it is. The tensile strength of spider silk is actually tougher than steel and theoretically, a thread of spider silk as thick as a pencil has the ability to stop a jumbo jet straight in it's tracks.

So once again, I ask: Why don't we have spider-silk rope? It's obviously not possible to get them naturally (since we would need a spider over 10 feet long to make a thread that thick), but I'm fairly sure that we are advanced enough in technology to manufacture our own. It has a whole world of uses, most of them are probably military uses.

I hate using over-exploited memes, but....

SCIENTISTS, Y U NO MAEK SPIDER ROPE?

[usb hub]

I hate spiderwebs.. they're small.. I would hate huge ropes of spider web even more ._.

[Samanator36]

production would be slow... and scary

[Darke~]

They could try, can't see the bad part on it. Also for you guys saying "oh its weird scary" that stuff, it's just another material to be used and abused. It's not like spider webs are poisonous or anything.

[Stryker]

OP wants to become Spiderman.

[PooZy]

Spider web is sort of weak. It has a lot of strength when it is thin, but if you tried to scale it up then it wouldn't work so well.

If you made it into rope it would be kind of gloopy and stretchy


edit: I should add, scientists can already mass-produce spider silk. They put the gene that makes spider silk proteins into Goat DNA, then when they milk the goat they sift the proteins out and you get a whole load of spider silk!

[ZoMbIeTuRtLe]

Spider web is sort of weak. It has a lot of strength when it is thin, but if you tried to scale it up then it wouldn't work so well.

If you made it into rope it would be kind of gloopy and stretchy


edit: I should add, scientists can already mass-produce spider silk. They put the gene that makes spider silk proteins into Goat DNA, then when they milk the goat they sift the proteins out and you get a whole load of spider silk!

Stole my words.

[FinalCheetah]

Nedron you seem pretty excited for something that functionally comes out of a spider's butt.

[ClassyElephant_]

We already have rope.

[AC25]

I remember seeing a report from ABC, saying that the military is wanting a way to harvest spider silk so they can use ropes for naval carriers. They already genetically modified goats to make milk that contain a lot of spider silk, since spiders only produce a little amount of their spider silk.

[Animorphs]

Only spiders can make spider silk rope

[Derpface]

We already have rope.

You get the prize for today's most insipid comment, congratulations!

[Nedron]

Nedron you seem pretty excited for something that functionally comes out of a spider's butt.

Who wouldn't be?

[PinkyWoman]

Who wouldn't be?

oh you know, 99% of the world

[Nedron]

oh you know, 99% of the world

So 99% of the world are arachnophobics?

What's wrong with you people, spiders are cool!

[hotpocket]

We already have rope.

No shit. What's your point?

[sirham]

So 99% of the world are arachnophobics?

What's wrong with you people, spiders are cool!

Ditto.

I think if we put enough effort into we could do it.

[Rammjet]

Nylon and synthetic versions of silk work well enough and are already in mass production, most of the time though normal ropes do the job just fine so why would you want a very expensive rope made from an exotic material?