Spiderwebs are proven to be notoriously difficult for scientists to recreate, no matter what popular culture has taught you.
But researchers have recreated the method that allows a spider's web to be stretched and then snapped back, leaving very little slack in the line.
Spider webbing contains tiny droplets of a watery glue, which is used in part to keep prey from escaping the web.
But it turns out it has another use as a sort of natural winch. As the web retracts, excess thread is then spooled inside of the droplets, which allow the line to be pulled and retracted while remaining taut.
The researchers say this could be recreated with "virtually any different components" and lead to a new bio-inspired technology that could have a huge number of uses in technology and medicine.
Sadly, no one has mentioned web shooters just yet.
This video includes clips from Sony Pictures / "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." Music provided courtesy of APM Music.
