Science

This is the New Bulletproof Spidey-Skin Made From Human Skin Cells

Although you may not be able to shoot webbing from your wrist, a new material could someday give you a superhuman quality like Spider Man — no radioactive spider bite needed. A Dutch artist and researchers have developed a bulletproof material made from human skin cells and modified spider silk.

But, as Fox News reports, the bullet cannot being going too fast. The material wasn’t up-to-snuff for a level 1 bulletproof vest, which can stand up to a .22 caliber rifle bullet at normal speed. At a slower speed, it did stop the bullet compared to normal skin.

The “skin”, created by artist Jalila Essaidi and the Forensic Genomics Consortium Netherlands,is made from human skin cells from the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands and super-strong spider silk protein, which was derived from goats and worms genetically modified to produce the protein at Utah State University in Logan.

Bulletproof Skin Developed from Human Cells and Modified Spider Silk

Dutch artist Jalila Essaidi contacted Utah State University researchers who were working with an isolated spider silk gene and goat's milk for her project creating bulletproof skin. (Jalila Essaidi)

Essaidi helped develop the skin as part of an art project that demonstrates “Which forms of safety are socially important?” According to International Business Times, the project was called “2.6g 329m/s” after the maximum weight and velocity of a .22 caliber rifle bullet.

The team claims that during a firing process, this bullet — with partly reduced speed –went straight through a normal piece of human skin. The ‘bulletproof’ human skin stopped the bullet at the same speed, but didn’t survive a shot with the actual speed after which the project was named, the release stated.

Watch Essaidi explain the purpose of her project and the method for developing the skin:

Fox News goes on to state that the bulletproof skin technology is a long way from being used in the field, but is a foray into future protective gear. But for now, the skin has won the Designers & Artists 4 Genomics Award.

Comments (49)

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  • conservatron
    Posted on August 19, 2011 at 7:41am

    At least now we know when someone comes after us with a modified-to-slower-speed .22 caliber rifle, we’ll be safe. Science….you’ve done it again!

    Report Post »  
  • HellAndBack
    Posted on August 19, 2011 at 3:11am

    GOD isnt worried until we create existance through the force of our will alone.
    This is just us reaching towards the potential HE gave us.
    Not to mention its just COOL!!

    Report Post » HellAndBack  
    • DeHo
      Posted on August 19, 2011 at 1:27pm

      The Terminator will need some kind of skin. Otherwise, he’ll just look like a robot.

      Report Post » DeHo  
  • cane247
    Posted on August 19, 2011 at 12:59am

    More tinkering with the human genome. God can not be pleased Soon we will find out how much.

    Report Post » cane247  
  • Cold War Vet
    Posted on August 19, 2011 at 12:44am

    I’d have to wear spider silk? Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl!

    Pun intended!

    Report Post » Cold War Vet  
  • cosmic dogma
    Posted on August 19, 2011 at 12:13am

    Science is a hoot! Spider silk and skin light weight airplane exteriors next? What if they get eczema?

    Report Post »  
  • db321
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 11:11pm

    You can shoot me in the face as long as I don’t have to ware that mask.

    Report Post » db321  
  • db321
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 11:08pm

    I could not understand a word she said, and what the deal with the Goat!

    Report Post » db321  
  • kifeb221993
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 9:40pm

    some of the ways you can use it is you can make light (super light)bulletproof hummer skin or some type of vehicle skin, plane skin or sheelds and the list go on and on.

    Report Post »  
  • ThaBigPerm
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 8:03pm

    This likely has many, many uses … just not the one the inventors had in mind when they created it (as is the case with some of the best inventions and discoveries). Consider: a future version of this flexible skin may very well be strong enough to stop a high-power rifle bullet from penetrating. However, being flexible as skin(one of the design requirements if it to be called and behave as a “skin” that replaces plates and thick/bulky balistic ‘pads’), it will transfer the *energy* right on into the ribs…or skull or whatever solid body part lies beneath. This is why trauma plates are used behind balistic “soft” pads designed to stop handgun rounds. It *will* stop the bullet. But you’ll still have broken bones and internal injuries from the imact.

    Report Post »  
  • gmoneytx
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 6:51pm

    My skin is bulletproof too, if you take the bullet out of the gun, and throw at me with your arm!

    What a moron, come on Blaze, there has got to be more news in the world worth reporting than bullet proof skin that can’t stop a bullet…Like, have you ever watched the grass grow down south in Louisiana.

    Report Post » gmoneytx  
    • Bullhorn Guy
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 7:21pm

      Just because it doesn’t stop full speed bullets…YET…doesn‘t mean it isn’t news worthy. Don’t be such an a**. The implications here about the kind of research being done, and the results they are already getting are actually quite staggering. How far do you think it is, from developing armor made from this stuff, to genetically engineering people to grow it on their own bodies? Now that is scary.

      Report Post » Bullhorn Guy  
    • ozchambers
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 7:42pm

      So it can stop a bullet as long as its smaller than a .22 and slower………….BRING IT BB GUN BOY!!!

      ozchambers  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:28pm

    Side affects:
    You have an affinity for eating flies..
    if you are a female…,then you have a strong urge to kill your mate after intercourse
    Silky ropes come out of your a**.

    Report Post »  
  • Kess
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:15pm

    The bullet can’t be going too fast? So as long as I am hit with a slow moving bullet, things will turn out great…not very comforting.

    Report Post » Kess  
    • Kasey
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 6:08pm

      Sometimes I wonder how people who say things like this can use a computer. Bullets lose velocity as they travel. Long range shots would be stopped, or at least slowed even more so they cause less damage. Shrapnel would cause less damage, and considering most deaths in the military right now are caused by ieds and the like, that’s a good thing. Plus this could probably be worn with conventional kevlar. This is an awesome thing.

      Can anybody actually think before they type?

      Report Post » Kasey  
    • CaughtNTheCrosshairs
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 9:22pm

      It’s the slower bullets, that are the most dangerous. Most forms of body armor (used commonly by police and military) can’t stop a .22, a .25, or .35 round, because they move and turn so slowly that they literally move the fibers in the vest out of the way. So, if they have found a material that will stop those rounds, I would be very impressed.

      Report Post »  
  • jim
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:43pm

    She’s feeding a goat.

    Report Post » jim  
  • DallyWama
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:35pm

    The women in the Democrat party can wear this to improve their appearance?

    Gosh. Please do something it is reprehensible to look at such ugly women.

    Report Post »  
    • Kaoscontrol
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:42pm

      Is the Democrat the one speaking on the right side, or the one chewing on the left?

      Report Post » Kaoscontrol  
    • SirEvert
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:46pm

      I guess you vote based on their looks? Getting crazy loons in power like Bachmann and Palin?
      I forgot for a second that the only thing that counts when you are representing the people is your looks, stupid me.

      Report Post »  
    • Kaoscontrol
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:03pm

      True, Sirevert.
      I’m sure nobody voted for Obama, just because he LOOKS good. It must have been his pro America POLICIES that got him elected. How shallow of us to focus on looks, when the actual ugliness is much deeper.

      Report Post » Kaoscontrol  
  • Kasey
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:32pm

    That’s not as useless as some of you are making it out to be. M16s use .22 bullets with bigger powder casings behind it, and what it can stop has something to do with mass. If nothing else they could put it under normal armor. Even the helmets up till the 70s or 80s couldn’t stop a bullet. They were made to protect from shrapnel. Sounds like a good step to me. They have to use different combinations because actual spider silk is hard to get enough of to use. Kevlar vests are made from kevlar compounds not silk, which is not apparent to a lot of people for some reason.

    Report Post » Kasey  
  • Woo
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:31pm

    Why not duck behind the goat? It’s would offer more protection and stop the .22 at full speed.

    Report Post »  
  • NASTY.FREAK
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:04pm

    why not just use the silk to make a bullet proof vest . why do we have to combine it with human skin. sounds like a bunch a hooey to me.

    Report Post » NASTY.FREAK  
  • SirEvert
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:02pm

    The project has its own website: http://jalilaessaidi.com/2-6g-329ms/
    at http://www.jalilaessaidi.com

    Report Post »  
  • Firebrand
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 2:52pm

    Science is sexy.

    Report Post » Firebrand  
  • SacredHonor1776
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 2:42pm

    She called a ‘spider’ an ‘insect’… I’m not going to take her seriously…

    Report Post »  
  • ddg7
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 2:40pm

    Is this going to be marketed to the condom companies? A ricochet condom could be painful to the wearer!

    Report Post »  
  • raderby
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 2:21pm

    yeah, let’s keep going on the gene mods! Idiots. Learn a little more organic chem, how about that? – and you can make the compounds without possibly wiping out mankind. idiots

    Report Post » raderby  
  • TaunTaun
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 2:10pm

    This actually has a lot of possibilities. Bio-genetic engineering to make things like bio-armor. Ultra-light armor that if nothing else, protects against low velocity weapons. Bio-electric power, where we shovel corn to feed to electric eels grafted onto the power grid. I can think of many other possibilities. (I know, I’m a sci-fi nut, but hey, even cell phones were sci-fi once)

    Report Post »  
    • walkwithme1966
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 2:38pm

      Wow – interesting – some day we will go to war and no one will have to die!! But the reporter was enough to make someone to poke their eye out!!! http://wp.me/pYLB7-1tg

      Report Post » walkwithme1966  
    • loriann12
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 7:04pm

      Makes you wonder where they would get all the cells? SOYLENT GREEN! IT’S MADE FROM PEOPLE.

      Report Post »  
  • W@nd@
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 2:02pm

    gosh a real spidey man ewwww

    Report Post »  
    • cvs334
      Posted on August 18, 2011 at 2:10pm

      Finally after 40 years I can get my SpiderMan Costume that will work!!

      Report Post »  
  • AlansTigg
    Posted on August 18, 2011 at 1:51pm

    that’s creepy

    Report Post » AlansTigg  
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