Bulletproof Skin?

It looks like a scientist has developed a material out of spider silk, goat's milk, and human skin that is "bulletproof" (at least according to the headline). It's not quite ready to be considered completely bulletproof, but it's a step. Will we someday see genetically modified soldiers with similar, even stronger skin like this?

Source

Take a pinch of Spider-Man's webbing, add some human skin cells, and you just may end up with skin worthy of Superman.

A Dutch team created a piece of "bulletproof" skin from special, U.S.-made spider silk and human skin cells and found that it indeed can repel bullets -- as long as they're not traveling too fast.

The bulletproof skin showed its superiority over normal human skin by stopping a bullet fired at a reduced speed. But it fell short of surviving a shot at normal speed from a .22 caliber rifle, the benchmark for protection for a Type 1 bulletproof vest.

The result did not discourage Jalila Essaidi, the Dutch artist who, along with the Forensic Genomics Consortium Netherlands, created the skin. She just wanted an art project demonstrating the relative concept of safety.

"Even with the 'bulletproof' skin being pierced by the faster bullet, the experiment is, in my view, still a success," Essaidi said. "The art project is based on and leads to a debate on the question, 'Which forms of safety are socially important?'"

The special brand of spider silk came from genetically modified goats and worms at Utah State University in Logan. U.S. researchers have spent years harvesting the spider silk protein from the goat milk to try to make new types of super-strong fibers. Essaidi combined the spider silk with human skin cells from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

Such skin is still a long way from adding practical protection to humans, but it gives a glimpse of what future soldiers or would-be superheroes might expect. After all, the U.S. military and other armed forces have continually sought new ways to bulletproof their warriors on the battlefield, and also have shown interest in discovering the ultimate warrior genes.

For now, anyone can check out the bulletproof skin in Leiden, Netherlands; it's on display at the National Natural History Museum Naturalis until Jan. 8, 2012. Read more: www.foxnews.com...

this is just one closer to this www.abovetopsecret.com... and this read this one and you will see that we are not far from this 5 years or 10? www.abovetopsecret.com... from the link

A super warrior, built in Kevlar skin.Is it right? How far do we go if one can think of it and some one can make it happen it the lab how soon will it be out of the box.

so now what will they think of next, night vision implants?

Originally posted by navy_vet_stg3
It looks like a scientist has developed a material out of spider silk, goat's milk, and human skin that is "bulletproof" (at least according to the headline). It's not quite ready to be considered completely bulletproof, but it's a step. Will we someday see genetically modified soldiers with similar, even stronger skin like this?

Doubtful that GM soldiers will ever come to be, but this seems like a good step towards making impact resistant loose clothing.
And not sure if its just for military applications...could be helpful for people surviving a car crash, or a million other accidental bumps and crashes experienced in everyday life...could be the new clothing style, and honestly, wearing spider silk clothing sounds quite comfortable (or sticky...I assume they take care of that though).

I also see potential new material for spacecrafts...lightweight shielding that would require far less power to launch into space while being more effective than current materials

Originally posted by bekod
so now what will they think of next, night vision implants?

Now that sounds awesome...I would love for the day to come when we can replace our biological eyes with computer eyes...night vision, picture/video capabilitys, zoom, rewind, playing movies right in your eyeballs, etc...

now you got my sci-fi brain working...but I think we are quite a ways away for that...still, how cool would that be.

I like the idea of impact resistant lose clothing, and I really did the night vision idea. I've always thought it would be great to be able to zoom in and out with our eyes as well. Perhaps a dynamic binocular type of glasses, capable of reading brain waves telling it to "zoom in" or "zoom out". I know this brain reading tech is currently being worked for pilots, but it would be great for in the field too. I guess the zoom in wouldn't be bad at the beach either.

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3


As accident prone as I am, where do I sign up? Kevlar like skin is a better option than the bubble wrap my hubby threatened to wrap me in.

I see this for clothing, not skin. Not loose fitting clothing, but something like spandex, a "second skin".

I saw the clip about the goats yesterday and immediately started singing

"spider goat, spider goat
does whatever a spider goat does."

The little goats don't get to suckle from their mother due to the genetically modified milk.

reply to post by SaturnFX
i am thing like an Eagle or Hawk eyes, true hunter eyes, throw in the hearing of a bat, this skin, wings of a dragon fly... well you get the idea. mixed DNA/RA.

reply to post by bekod


Then you'll have the Island of Dr. Moreau...LOL.

2nd

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3
well now your talking DuPont, nan nite tec or nano tec, self replicating threads as one grows it makes other and then is stretched as it stretches it makes more, stronger than Kevlar less dense, one fiber is Equal to 100 Kevlar fibers do not look for it on the shelves, it is considered a toxic substance.

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3
yea but then not really, for this is the new Mil home guard fro the late 21 early 22nd cent. to me this is mad science.