Metallic spider silk!

Here's a fine example of the intersection of multiple forms of badass science. It might seem odd on the surface but is driven by an enormous number of potential applications: spider silk that has been augmented with metals to make it even stronger.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090423/sc_nm/us_spider_silk_1

Scientists have long desired to find a way to master the art of synthesizing artificial spider silk. However, it's surprisingly complex stuff that is spun from an extremely small and sophisticated organ. Additionally, there's little chance of spiders being organized into the ol' "industrial farming" model, because as the article points out, they tend to eat each other.

Why do we care about spider silk? Because it has an incredibly high strength-to-weight ratio that makes steel cable look flimsy and brittle by comparison. This silk could be woven into super-textiles or braided into super-cables. And- it literally comes out of the backside of a little animal, rather than having to be mined and refined. Plus not even PETA would step up to argue for spiders' rights.

So, before we even get the kickass spider silk materials... wacky scientists decide to up the ante and create metal-ized spider silk. An alloy of sorts. What's now at stake? Imagine bullet-resistant (and sexy) t-shirts. Or perhaps finally, a cable strong enough to make the fabled "space elevator" a possibility.

And at the very least, a new character for Marvel - something along the lines of Venom + the T-1000? :)