Future bodily coverings?

[dichotomy]

Is there a theory on what is the most likely body covering material to evolve next in the living world? We have had tree bark, jelly fish like membrane, exoskeletal insects and crustaceans, fish/reptile scales, bird feathers, mammal skin and hair. I find it difficult to imagine what other strikingly different body coving might emerge? And I know hair and echidna spines are basically the same material, but visually they are quite different. Am I clear enough here?

[SkepticLance]

I dunno what will evolve. But I could suggest a nice artificial cover.

 

For best thermal insulation, you need the best method of trapping air. Perhaps a three dimensional network of buckytubes combined with Kevlar, which would give insulation, flexibility, and a bullet proof jacket!

[dichotomy]

I dunno what will evolve. But I could suggest a nice artificial cover.

 

For best thermal insulation, you need the best method of trapping air. Perhaps a three dimensional network of buckytubes combined with Kevlar, which would give insulation, flexibility, and a bullet proof jacket!

 

I assume it would also be quite lightweight? Out of interest, what lifeform has the best bullet proofing (resistence)? Trees do come to mind. What about in the animal world?

[SkepticLance]

An elephant or a whale.

You need a heavy calibre bullet to killem.

[DrP]

Just as a note - when shooting a pigeon with a .22 air rifle, you go for a head shot. This is because the soft but tight downy feathering on their breasts tangles up the spinning pellet and it doesn't even get through deep enough to penitrate the skin. Usually the .22 pellet has more killing power than the .177 for most things, but the smaller pellet is best for a shot into the pigeons chest as it gets through the downy feathers with less tangling.

 

There was talk a while back of spider silk bullet proof jackets. Anyone know of any advances on this this lately? (EDIT: latest Update? http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/biology/2002-01-21-spider-silk.htm)

Edited September 4, 2008 by DrP

[dichotomy]

"Spider webs kept in museums have lasted for 200 years"

 

From the link above.

 

I can now imagine a future spider silk like body covering. Excellent!

[SkepticLance]

The gene for spider silk protein manufacture has been successfully isolated, and inserted into a suitable plant. That plant now makes a small amount of spider silk as part of its metabolism.

 

However, that is still a long way from being able to use the protein to make fibres. If it is ever achieved, it would be a great step forwards, since spider silk has the second greatest tensile strength of any fibre known.

[DrP]

The gene for spider silk protein manufacture has been successfully isolated, and inserted into a suitable plant. That plant now makes a small amount of spider silk as part of its metabolism.

 

Putting it in plants does sound a bit more humane than mutating cows and goats - I was wondering about the ethics of it from the off.

 

 

However, that is still a long way from being able to use the protein to make fibres. If it is ever achieved, it would be a great step forwards, since spider silk has the second greatest tensile strength of any fibre known.

 

Second? What is first then? I though it was the drop thread from a Golden Orb spider? (I've met Goldn Orbs face to face - - don't like them at all!)

[SkepticLance]

To Dr P

The strongest fibre in terms of tensile is buckytubes. However, we are still a long way off making suitably long continuous fibres, and as soon as someone tries to 'glue' buckytube fibres together, the tensile plummets.

[DrP]

Thanks. I reckon spider silk is the future for now then. I read once about how difficult it was to farm Golden Orb Spiders. They tend to eat each other when kept in confined spaces. I bet it is not impossible though! Just enough to do some research and maybe make one or two jackets. We discussed this in length and thought that it could actually be a viable proposition for small quantities for research. The biggest factor for not doing it we decided was my completely uncontrollable arachnophobia!

[Mr Skeptic]

Do bacterial cell walls count?

[dichotomy]

Do bacterial cell walls count?

 

They count but they already exist as a bodily covering. BTW, what would they actually resemble at human scale? membrane type material I assume?

[Mr Skeptic]

Bacterial cell walls (which are different from cell membranes) are made of many, many different molecules for different bacteria. Many of the techniques to identify bacteria involve applying different staining techniques to find out about their cell wall. I think part of the reason bacteria are becoming resistant to medicines is due to changes in their cell wall. Thus, I'd expect the newest type of "bodily covering" would be a new type of bacterial cell wall.

[Kyrisch]

Out of curiosity, what makes spider silk so strong?

[iNow]

Out of curiosity, what makes spider silk so strong?

 

Spiders do, of course.

 

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=why-is-spider-silk-so-str

[dichotomy]

Out of curiosity, what makes spider silk so strong?

 

If anyone really knew, they'd probably be making it by the bucketful right now. It'll be very interesting to see if this can made synthetically, and as strong/flexible as the best spiders example.

[insane_alien]

crosslinking between the proteins.

 

its just difficult to get the right amount and type of crosslinking.

[Mr Skeptic]

Well, we can make stuff much stronger than spider silk, such as carbon nanotubes. Which are about the limit as to how strong and light something can even get. However, so far, our nanotubes are short, and sticking them together so that they are useful reduces their strength drastically.

 

I'm kind of curious as to what kind of biology would be involved in making biological nanotubes. That should, in theory, be possible, and might even be a cheaper and far better solution than our current methods.

[dichotomy]

Looks like it will be an interesting two horse race between spider silk and nanotubes when it comes to the commercial viability of sticking it/ weaving it together, without drastically reducing their respective strengths. Are there any other contenders here in the strongest tensile body coverings stakes?

 

I like how this thread has gone from body coverings that naturally grow on the body to synthetically produced ones.

[Kyrisch]

Well in a way we have evolved natural coverings. The only reason we use "artificial" coverings is because we are intelligent enough to recognise and utilise the benefit. Seeing as our intelligence is evolved, the argument could be made that any consequence would also, technically, be.

[SkepticLance]

My argument is that our artificial coverings have changed our natural covering. That is : once humans learned to make warm clothing, the need for a thick hair covering disappeared, and having a thinner covering which could be enhanced at need was a real advantage, permitting better cooling in hot conditions, and better parasite control.

 

Thus, human evolution of body covering will in future be better artificial coverings.

[iNow]

In addition to better parasite control, I want to reinforce your cooling point. Part of the reason we lost our fur coat was because we ran so much. The body developed more sweat pores, and these liquid producing glands replaced many of the areas on our body previously covered by hair follicles. The cooling result from the loss of hair was less related to "insulation" issues, and more related to "replacement with a better cooling system." ...namely, sweat.

 

 

I saw it on the History Channels special (called "Evolve") on the evolution of "skin" recently.

[dichotomy]

For a cold blooded reptile, would hair be an advantage? Or, does one need warm blood for hair to be an effective heat retainer in the first place?

 

I wouldn't think our need for running is a very big factor for hair loss. It would make more sense that it was primarily due to our ability to wrap/ unwrap ourselves in insulation material, build shelters, control fire. There are many mammals that run and have hair - horses, cattle, dogs. They just didn't make stuff. Point taken that it is a smaller factor.

 

Seeing as our intelligence is evolved, the argument could be made that any consequence would also, technically, be.

 

That's the way I see it. Every technological leap is a product of evolution.

[iNow]

I wouldn't think our need for running is a very big factor for hair loss.

Here is a link to the portion of the program discussing what I mentioned above:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmUj76Ayfpw&feature=related

 

 

 

To watch the entire 50 minute special regarding the evolution of skin, click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj8q1AYHSSA&feature=PlayList&p=8E1AC724FD6A9549&index=0&playnext=1

[dichotomy]

Chasing animal’s long distances to tire them out? Hmmm… Even chimps today know how to pack ambush monkeys for their diner, without the need for too much running. However, I am a little more convinced that it might have been one of the major causes of hair loss being selected for.

 

iNow, thanks for the links.