Here come the spider socks

IT MIGHT be just the thing to ease your arachnophobia: Japanese researchers have created a pair of comfortable yet durable socks from spider thread and silk.

“By genetically modifying silkworms, I thought it might be possible to create good spider silk,” said Masao Nakagaki, a professor at Shinshu University in central Japan who developed the fibre after 10 years of research.

“It is better for the environment to replace artificial fibres that use up precious oil with natural recyclable fibres,” he said.