Navy Makes Synthetic Hagfish Slime

Who of us has not found ourselves in the position of needing hagfish slime at one point or another? The Navy has found a way to synthesize it:

Hagfish slime consists of two components — thread-like proteins and mucin, a gelatinous lubricant. When released the thread, mucin and seawater interact to create a three-dimensional, viscoelastic network. The secretion can expand to up to 10,000 times its original volume. On a per-weight basis, hagfish slime is 10 times stronger than steel.

Researchers believe this slimy substance could have uses in everything from bulletproof vests to food packaging to ballistics defense and even repelling sharks.

However, harvesting the substance is tricky business since the hagfish don’t breed in captivity.

But now, a team of U.S. Navy scientists and engineers have discovered a way to synthesize the slime. E. coli bacteria were used to produce alpha and gamma proteins which were recovered from the bacteria after a series of isolation and purification steps.

The synthetic hagfish slime could be used for ballistics protection, firefighting, anti-fouling, diver protection, anti-shark spray, even fabric. Researchers say the possibilities are endless.

Well, that’s a relief.