About Cheryl Hayashi: Cheryl Hayashi is a biologist at University of California, Riverside who specializes in the genetic structure of spider silk.
The very first thing on the docket is to have the opportunity to travel to look at spiders in other parts of the world. I know there are really cool silks out there.
It's like the spiders are sharing an ancient secret with me, and that's why I'm going to spend the rest of my life studying spider silk.
You don't work with spiders very long before you start noticing how important silk is to their life and just how special that is for spiders.
With all due respect to arachnophobes, I love spiders. Some might call me obsessed, but I've been studying spiders and spider silks for many years now and don't see an end in sight. There is simply too much to do.
To borrow from the writings of a spider named Charlotte: 'Silk is terrific!'
For me, each day begins and ends with wanting to learn a little more about the secrets of spider silk.
I certainly wasn't the kind of kid that grew up collecting bugs and spiders.
Cheryl and spiders: It kind of just goes together now.
I always like jumping spiders. They're just so darn cute.
The next time you see a spider web, please, pause and look a little closer. You'll be seeing one of the most high-performance materials known to man.
Some spider silks are really strong, but not all of them are. The ones that are really strong can actually rival steel and approach the tensile strength of Kevlar. Thus far, the dragline silk seems to be the strongest.
