Stronger Than Steel: Spider Silk DNA and the Quest for Better Bulletproof Vests, Sutures, and Parachute Rope (Scientists in the Field)

by Bridget Heos (Author) Andy Comins (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
In Stronger Than Steel, readers enter Randy Lewis' lab where they come face to face with golden orb weaver spiders, and transgenic alfalfa, silkworm silk, and goats, whose milk contains the proteins to spin spider silk--and to weave a nearly indestructible fiber. Learn how this amazing material might someday be used to repair or replace human ligaments and bones, improve body armor, strengthen parachute rope, and even tether an airplane to an aircraft carrier! Readers explore rapid advancements in the application of genetic medicine and their potential to save and improve lives while considering the crucial ethical concerns of genetic research. A timely addition to the acclaimed Scientists in the Field series.
Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

More books in the series - See All

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

Move over, Spider-Man. In this addition to the Scientists in the Field series, Heos offers a window into astonishing real-life research conducted by biologist Randy Lewis, who studies the potential uses for spider silk in products like artificial tendons, spacesuits, body armor, and more. It might sound like a B movie plot, but it's pure science: Lewis and his team inject goat embryos with spider genes. As a result, some of the goat offspring become "transgenic," allowing spider silk proteins to be collected through their milk. "Randy uses old-fashioned farm sense," Heos explains. "To get good milk producers, he breeds a 'spider goat' with a goat whose family members produce lots of milk." Lewis's team also experiments with injecting alfalfa and silkworms with arachnid genes. Abundant photographs and a lively narrative make the topic accessible and almost lighthearted, and Heos lays groundwork for readers with a basic introduction to DNA and gene theory. Ethical questions surrounding genetic engineering are briefly addressed, and the book's candid and detailed discussion provides fodder for readers who wish to engage in a broader conversation. Ages 10-14. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Feb.)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9—This title explores the world of genetic engineering, focusing specifically on generating spider silk proteins in such quantity/quality as to warrant commercial development. Why spider silk? The title tells it succinctly. Stronger than steel, it is also flexible and stretchable, and can be spun into surgical sutures and artificial ligaments and woven into bulletproof vests and military-style body armor, among a host of other things. Heos's lively text, full of somewhat demanding concepts, takes readers into "Spider-Man" Randy Lewis's lab at the University of Wyoming, a world of transgenic alfalfa, bacterial "hosts" for spider DNA, and ultimately to a flock of transgenic goats whose milk now carries spider-silk proteins. Complex processes such as the isolation of a spider-silk gene, its introduction into a bacterium, and its subsequent removal to be injected into embryonic goats are lucidly described. As to ethical questions of "messing about" with the genetic code? Heos writes of the problems inherent if "escaping" transgenic pollen mixes into the world of nontransgenic flora. She speaks of the euthanization of transgenic goats that produce little or no spider-silk proteins in their milk, and even of non-transgenic goats to keep the herd a manageable size. And she speaks of people opposed to genetic engineering for moral and religious reasons, all the while providing scientific "best case" scenarios of its practical and beneficial applications. A complex, controversial topic, positively presented.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Move over, Spider-Man. . . . Abundant photographs and a lively narrative make the topic accessible and almost lighthearted, and Heos lays groundwork for readers with a basic introduction to DNA and gene theory."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A complex, controversial topic, positively presented."
School Library Journal

"Clear focus, careful explanztions with occasional repetition of denser information, and a wealth of color photographs make this title inviting and accessible. . . and the kissin'-cute goats should entice quite a few readers to explore this project further."
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Bridget Heos
Bridget Heos is the author of Mustache Baby and Mustache Baby Meets His Match, as well as many nonfiction books for young readers. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband and four children. www.authorbridgetheos.com
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780547681269
Lexile Measure
860
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
February 26, 2013
Series
Scientists in the Field
BISAC categories
JNF003120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Insects, Spiders, etc.
JNF003140 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Mammals
JNF061010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Technology | Inventions
JNF051050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Biology
JNF037030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Flowers & Plants
Library of Congress categories
Scientists
Therapeutic use
Spider webs
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Health & Daily Living /
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Technology / Inventions
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Science & Nature / Biol
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Animals / Insects, Spid
Nephila maculata

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!