What makes spider silk so extraordinarily strong and elastic at the same time? This was the focus of recent investigations carried out by researchers from the University of Greifswald, the University of Bonn and the Museum of Natural Science in Buenos Aires. In material and behavioural analyses, they discovered that net-casting spiders modulate their silk microstructurally – combining immense elasticity with robustness. The results of the international study, which are published on 26 January 2026 in the journal PNAS will enable new approaches for the industrial production of synthetic fibres.