Researchers create strong 'super silk' that maintains shape after wetting

Painstakingly woven from the cocoons of silkworms, silk has been valued for more than 4,000 years as a luxury material.

More than just beautiful, silk is also lightweight, strong and biocompatible, allowing it to be used for clothing, medical materials and more.

However, conventional silk has a glaring weakness—it shrinks and loses its shape after repeated exposure to moisture. ...