The Medical Wonders of Worm Spit

[@cheesex4572]

who else only hear for Biology class

[@nothereanymore3941]

saying worm spit instead of silk is really stupid. it's like saying bee barf instead of honey.

[@oogalook]

Ah, but it's funny!

[@longtracthien4097]

Awesome

[@LaughterOnWater]

Subscribed

[@julianabrown8283]

4:11 This is the sort of thing Homer Simpson would imagine.

[@jjcale2288]

Strange enough this is new, only ten year and still under approval but the C19 vaxine is out and approved in less than an year. Well done, dear human fellows!

[@cacodaemonia]

Are the worms harmed?

[@43ten43]

Chelsea Conlin Yes, they are savagely beaten until they hand over their silk nozzles. It's horrific. +SciFri Fantastic video. I've only really appreciated silk for its great qualities for backpacking gear, but this blew my mind.

[@lgroskin]

Chelsea Conlin After the cocoon is spun, the worm is typically baked/killed and removed. Some are left alive to breed. That said, there are worm-friendly silk providers that let all of the worms hatch out.

[@cacodaemonia]

***** Thanks for the reply!

[@nikolaneberemed]

In the original silk harvesting method, the cocoons were cooked before hatching. This was done because the whole cocoon is just one strand of silk, and they wanted the strand intact. If the let the silkworm hatch, it would cut open the cocoon and cut the strand into many shorter ones. But these guys don't care for the strand remaining intact, so they could harvest without harming any silkworms.

[@kaikai9533]

might be important to add that once silkworm reach cacoon stage they are at end of lifecycle. The moths that hatch out have no feeding organ and are only meant to reproduce. They will die within days.

[@minachau3420]

A human spitting out worms?

[@nolanburrell4808]

so do they enslave the worms

[@reececrump8483]

define enslave? one work can only make one silk shell in its life time, so i would say its less like an enslavement and more like a harvest. the pupa at the center may remain un harmed after being extracted though, 1:32

[@prestonspawn4310]

is anyone here for mr kuehl’s class