Welcome back to Asia in Science! Today, we amalgamate science with history. From fashion to space, here’s the journey of silk.
At Mulberry Orchards: Ancient Silk
What do ancient Chinese empresses and modern-day astronauts have in common? No, it’s not their taste in fashion—it’s silk!
A coveted treasure, as delicate as a feather, more tensile than steel, such as silk. A single thread of silk, born in the mulberry orchards of Asia, connects royal robes to futuristic bioengineering marvels.
Legend has it that around 2,600 BCE, Empress Leizu discovered silk when a silkworm cocoon fell into her tea, unraveling into a fine, shimmering thread. To China, silk was worth more than its weight in gold. They guarded the secrets of sericulture for over 20 centuries. Silk was so valuable in ancient China that its production process was a state secret punishable by death if shared. Its exuberant manufacturing requires 2,500 silkworms to produce one kilogram of the fabric.
Silk is indisputably an engineering paradox; each of its strands is a fibroin protein polymer that can elastically stretch over 5 times its length. The crown jewel of royal Chinese robes, silk, was once used as currency, with workers often paying in silk bolts instead of coins. Extortionate silk garments found in tombs of ancient Chinese royalty have been preserved for thousands of years, a testament to the material’s durability.
The fabric’s shimmering luster owes its grandeur to its triangular prism-like structure, which refracts light in multiple directions. Silk is more than just a fashion statement, it’s the very essence of bioelectronics and space exploration. From spacecraft insulation to parachutes for planetary landing, NASA is using silk as biomaterial composites.
Silk is immensely biocompatible—meaning it can integrate seamlessly with the human body, a feature crucial for medical applications. In tissue engineering, silk scaffolds grow artificial ligaments and skin, offering hope to burn victims and those with degenerative conditions.
It would be an understatement to say that silk holds its regime to this day. From mulberry trees to the Milky Way, silk’s journey mirrors humanity’s own—transforming raw potential into remarkable achievements.
I mean, the fabric had 4,000 miles names after it.
I hope you found today’s blog interesting and learned something new. Thank you for reading my blog! Please stay curious and alert for new blogs on Asian scientific contributions and inventions.
-Mihika Singhania
Credits/Sources
Cover page designed by @motley.designco
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