Slashdot Mirror
Scientists Crack Silk's Secret
AEton writes "Researchers at Tufts University have reportedly discovered the mechanism by which spidersilk is produced. Besides the obvious use as a Kevlar substitute in bulletproof vests, silk has applications in microprocessor production, nanoscale optical fiber, a and any other application requiring strength and flexbility. Scientists have long grappled with the issue of creating silk; artificial silk is inferior to the real stuff, and the spiders can't be farmed (when you put them too close together, they eat each other). The method these Tufts researchers have found makes "strong silk" production feasible; if they can make it economical, the impact on safety equipment alone makes this material a worthwhile investment."
The islam has proven to be very scientific hundreds of years ago, nobody knows how fast science might have advanced had christian crusaders not burned all those islamic bibliaries.
The islamic world also was able to govern itself without sinking into anarchy, before it was raped by the christian world.
While the islam and it's followers tend to be a little more hot-tempered than christians, the islam is quite peaceful by nature.
The problem with the islam is that recently, too many islamic people have become religious fanatics.
Violent fanatics, this includes religios fanatics of all religions as well as any others like drug bosses seeking wealth and power, are a threat to peace.
That radical islamists have pulled a few big stunts lately and are right now maybe the biggest threat to world peace should not give you ideas about what the islam is like.
If you'd want to make your mind about catholic people, would you only look at what the IRA did and conclude that this was the nature of catholic religion?
Most muslims who have not been turned extreme by extreme circumstances (like having to endure terror and torture by having to live in the Iraq as a shiite under Saddam), will agree that radical islamists have indeed left the path of islam a long time ago.
Btw: The roman catholic church needed 500 years to acknoledge that the earth circles around the sun. This was little more then ten years ago. Let the islam beat that.