I will try to find time to read the article in Nature (pub on 30
March 2006). Science Daily — The extraordinary properties of
spider's thread are like a blessing for researchers working on
polymers. However, the amazing twisting properties it displays
are still not very well understood. How can one explain the fact
that a spider suspended by a thread remains completely
motionless, instead of rotating like a climber does at the end
of a rope? Researchers at the Laboratoire de physique des lasers
(CNRS/University of Rennes) have described the exceptional
properties of this material which still has some secrets to
reveal. The results will be published in Nature on 30 March
2006. Fasten an object to the end of a vertically suspended
thread. Give it a slight twist and let go. You will observe that
the object rotates for a certain length of time and with a
certain amplitude, depending on the material of the thread. Now
observe a spider suspended from its thread: It is stable,
doesn't move, spins its thread in a per