An ancient pact between plant and insect becomes a new material.
The mulberry tree evolved molecules to repel animals; Silk moths evolved enzymes to undo them. An evolutionary arms race, now re-staged in a new theatre.
Fibroin- the protein spun by silk moths, and mulberry- the plant they feed on- are reunited here, synergistically:
Fibroin proteins are extracted from discarded silk garments and recrystallised within mulberry fibres, forming an ultralight sheet: delicate, glasslike, yet unexpectedly strong. It holds folds and transmits light in ways neither silk nor paper can alone.
Their co-evolved properties converge into a new composite, a material with programmable qualities of stiffness, translucency, and resonance.
An experiment in how biological affinities might be engineered into new architectures.
2025
A detailed technical description is available for collaborators and interested readers (password required) [link].