Abstract:

Spiders often evoke fear and disgust, yet their silks and webs inspire awe and fascination, capturing human curiosity throughout history. From sparking the interest of ancient philosophers to influencing practical innovations, spider silk has long been intertwined with our cultural and scientific evolution.
Nature has perfected spider silk to be produced under environmentally friendly conditions, while also boasting exceptional mechanical and biological properties. For these reasons, spider silks have been extensively studied in recent decades, particularly for their potential applications in fields such as biomedical technology, the textile industry, and soft electronics.
One of the most intriguing aspects of spider silk is its remarkable versatility: spiders are able to produce different types of silk to construct complex, synergistic structures. Each silk type has unique material properties that work together to enhance the overall performance of these structures.
This diversity in silk types and structural functions opens up vast scientific possibilities, making the study of spider silk an area of endless potential. This seminar will explore our latest discoveries regarding spider silk, including its applications and the progress we’ve made in achieving scalable, eco-friendly artificial production methods that meet industrial demands.

Short bio:
Gabriele Greco received his bachelor and master degree in physics from the University of Ferrara and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Trento. He is currently a Marie-Sklodowska Curie post-doctoral researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and his research interests focus on the mechanics of spiders and their silk, and artificial silk structures. His passion for spiders led him to co-found the Italian Society of Arachnology – Aracnofilia, in which he serves as vice president.