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.

Biografía corta:
Gabriele Greco obtuvo su licenciatura y maestría en física en la Universidad de Ferrara, y su doctorado en ingeniería mecánica en la Universidad de Trento. Actualmente es investigador postdoctoral Marie-Sklodowska Curie en la Universidad Sueca de Ciencias Agrícolas. Sus intereses de investigación se centran en la mecánica de las arañas y su seda, así como en las estructuras artificiales de seda. Su pasión por las arañas lo llevó a cofundar la Sociedad Italiana de Aracnología – Aracnofilia, en la cual se desempeña como vicepresidente.