The following is an edited excerpt.
Silkworms in a Japanese lab are busy spinning silks that glow in the dark. But these silkworms don’t need any dietary interventions to spin in color: They’ve been genetically engineered to produce fluorescent skeins in shades of red, orange, and green.
The resulting silks glow under fluorescent light, and are only ever-so-slightly weaker than silks that are normally used for fabrics, scientists reported June 12 in Advanced Functional Materials. Already, the glowing silks have been incorporated into everyday garments such as suits and ties.
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Read the full story here: Mutant Silkworms Spin Fluorescent Silk in 3 Colors
