ok ok that last part’s not technically true, but the truth is still pretty nifty:
yes these goats really exist! in most ways they are normal goats, except for how they secrete spider silk in their milk
(or rather, they secrete a special protein in their milk, which is then extracted and woven into silk fibers)
their DNA contains transplanted genes taken from the Golden Orb Weaver Spider, whose silk is incredibly strong–but can’t be naturally produced in large quantities. because…spiders are tiny ya’ll.
these superpowered web-slinging spidergoats genetically modified but otherwise normal and healthy goats can produce much larger amounts of this material (marketed as BioSteel), which is stronger than steel and more bulletproof than kevlar. plus it’s lightweight, elastic, and bio-compatible (compatible with living tissue), meaning it has a ton of potential industrial and medical applications.
(imagine 40 years from now you need knee surgery, and your doctor sits you down and explains that your shiny new anterior cruciate ligament was actually artificially woven out of SPIDER GOAT MILK SILK. also in this magical hypothetical future we have universal healthcare. and the wealth of all billionaires has been globally redistributed. this is my hypothetical scenario, i do what i want.)
like i said. pretty nifty!
and here is a photo of one such genetically modified BioSteel™ Goat, her name is Freckles
