Humans have learnt many things from nature that help us in our daily life. The latest thing is self-repairing clothing. Scientists have developed a way for cotton, linen and wool clothes to repair themselves, without the need for sewing. Scientists from the Naval Research Office and Pennsylvania State University in the USA looked at how squid can cling on to things so well. They found a protein in the teeth that cover the suckers on a squid. The protein is like the one found in the silk that spiders use to make spider webs. It is very strong and stretchy.
The new protein is now part of a coating, which is put on clothes. A rip or tear in clothes joins together in less than a minute after it is dipped in water. This could be useful for military and survival clothes. People will be safer with clothes that repair quickly and easily. A scientist spoke about the invention. He said: "The coatings are thin, less than a micron, so they wouldn't be noticed in everyday wear." He added: "Even thin, they increase the overall strength of the material. For the first time, we are making self-healing textiles."
