How does Spider-Man work and could superhumans appear in the future? Spider-Man from a scientific point of view How to become a black Spider-Man for real.

The Marvel Universe is based on fantasy. In a fantasy world, our laws of physics do not necessarily apply, so Spider-Man's abilities do not require scientific proof, although they are based on science and are an exaggerated version of real scientific facts. According to the story, Peter Parker acquired his powers through the venom of an irradiated spider. They endowed him with superhuman agility and speed, reflexes and strength, and over time led to the development of even more impressive abilities, including night vision and a remarkable sense of smell.

The power of polymers

The main advantage of Spider-Man, undoubtedly, was the ability to produce threads of sticky and incredibly durable web. If you ignore air resistance and consider the “shot” to be strictly vertical, then you can estimate the speed of departure of the spider threads: v = (2gh), that is, v = (2 * 9.8 m/s2 * 100 m) = 44 m/s, or about 160 km/h. And although this is even less than the speed of a bullet or even sound, the energy that is required for this cannot fail to impress. It is difficult to imagine how the body could obtain it without an additional artificial source.

But the strength of Spider-Man’s threads is quite “scientific”: spider web is one of the strongest polymers on the planet. Its tensile strength is about 1000 MPa, and the frame thread of the Araneus diadematus spiders reaches 2700 MPa. Such an indicator is not possible and the best brands high carbon steel. Therefore, already a 3-mm Spider-Man cable (taking its strength to be 1000 MPa) can withstand a load of more than 7000 N and cope with a load weighing up to 720 kg - or the weight of a normal person, even with strong acceleration in a fall.

The web of arachnids is secreted by specialized glands in the back of the abdomen, and the same animal may have several types of glands that create webs with different properties. But in any case chemical composition This is a special protein, very close to silk protein. Its chains are rich in glycine (the smallest of the amino acids, it provides flexibility to the polymer strands) and serine (the only amino acid in living organisms that contains sulfur, which is able to form additional bonds that strengthen the shape of the protein). And certain sections of the protein contain exceptional amounts of the third amino acid, alanine.

It would seem, why do we need all these details? However, it is they who create the special microstructure of spider spidroin proteins: alanine regions form densely packed crystalline regions, and glycine regions form amorphous, elastic bonds between them. Drying in air, the entire structure is strengthened and forms a thread from which the spider weaves parts of its web. The process is difficult, but the synthesis of the web is even more difficult. Spiders spend so many resources on the production of spidroins that they often eat old and damaged threads themselves in order to reuse them.

Alien web

Attempts to “tame” the web and produce it in the laboratory, and then on an industrial scale, have not stopped for many decades. During this time, it was possible to identify and isolate the spidroin gene from spiders and transfer it to other organisms, so today the protein polymer can be extracted not only from specially raised silkworms or spiders, but also from E. coli bacteria, genetically modified tobacco and potato plants, and even from... goat milk from animals that carry the spider protein gene. Home technical problem What remains in this area is the actual weaving of threads from this valuable resource.

Spiders use an exceptionally complex system of arachnoid glands: unlike milk, nails and hair, this material requires a subtle, even jewel-like synthesis process. Spidroin must be released at a strictly defined low speed and intertwined at a certain moment, being in the desired stage of hardening. Therefore, the glands of some spiders are extremely complex, containing several separate reservoirs for the sequential “maturation” of the web and its formation. It's hard to even imagine how Spider-Man could weave it at a speed of 150 km/h. But simply synthesizing spidroin will be completely within the capabilities of a future person.

No, nothing like genes is transmitted through bites, be it an ordinary animal or even a radioactive spider. Even the “induced” radiation itself, which could be preserved in the bite of a spider that survived hard radiation, is unlikely to reach a level that is serious for us - unless its poison consisted of pure plutonium. And “mutagenic enzymes” would hardly have given Peter Parker the necessary superpowers. As far as is known, these do not exist in nature: our body, on the contrary, is constantly fighting against random mutations, and entire protein armies are constantly busy “repairing” damaged DNA. Suppressing the work of these proteins increases the level of mutations, but even in this case, Peter Parker would most likely simply die from one of the oncological diseases that random mutations are fraught with.

It is unlikely that you can get the spidroin protein genes we need with a bite. To do this, a certain fragment of DNA must not only enter the body, but also avoid attack by the immune system, while penetrating the cell membrane, then the nuclear membrane, and, finally, integrate into the active site of some chromosome. It’s hard to imagine this happening by accident—viruses have been honing this simple skill for billions of years and countless generations. Therefore, it is viruses that can give hope that someday science will turn volunteer Parker into something like a real Spider-Man.

Energy and nanotechnology

Indeed, in 2010, when goats were produced that produce milk with spider proteins, scientists used modified viruses to transfer genes. Unable to harm the cell, they nevertheless retained the ability to attach to it and deliver an artificial analogue of the spidroin gene inside. By the way, the polymer obtained in this way was able to be woven into an exceptionally durable material, which Nexia Biotechnologies promoted under the BioSteel brand, but the production process was never brought to an economically justifiable cost and scale, so today the company has gone bankrupt. But we digress.

The DNA fragments necessary for the synthesis of spidroin were introduced into goats at the stage of one-cell embryos. Subsequently, these genes ended up in all daughter cells of the formed organism, although scientists integrated them into that part of the genome that was active only in cells involved in the synthesis of mother's milk. If we want to turn Peter Parker into Spider-Man, we'll have a much harder time. Firstly, the target gene must appear in the chromosomes of an adult organism, immediately in many formed cells in certain areas of the skin, and be integrated into the desired area everywhere.

Theoretically, this could be allowed Newest technologies, which are currently undergoing various stages of study and laboratory testing - plus some ideas that remain a matter of the more distant future. In particular, the improved CRISPR/Cas method promises precise integration of genes into the desired regions of chromosomes. It uses a special set of bacterial enzymes and RNA, which ensure that cuts are made in the DNA strand in a strictly defined place. The cell’s own enzymes immediately rush to repair this artificial damage and use the first “patch” that comes along—usually a fragment of a gene that people need, introduced along with the Cas proteins.

Retroviruses can provide transport for the delivery of the entire set of molecules, as was done with goats. And nanotechnology will make it possible to equip the shells of viral particles with elements, for example, that react to a magnetic field, in order to activate genetic modification strictly in the necessary cells of an adult Peter Parker. It is more difficult to imagine how arachnoid glands, which are much more complex and work differently, could be obtained from the cells of his skin and, apparently, from the sweat and sebaceous glands. But main problem Metabolism remains.

Like bird flight, snake venom, or the human brain, the web is an amazingly complex adaptation, a true masterpiece of evolution that has enabled the success of a vast group of animals. But the brain, flight, and the synthesis of toxins and cobwebs are adaptations that are extremely costly for the body. Experiments with Australian relatives of vipers have shown that after a bite they must increase their metabolic rate by almost 70% in order to gradually restore their supply of protein poison. How much should a person’s metabolism increase in order for him to synthesize hundreds of meters of thick arachnoid rope? How much food will he need and how high in calories should it be? It seems that all this reasoning puts an end to our dreams of a real Spider-Man.

Instead of an afterword

Even if we only want to get a person capable of synthesizing webs little by little, introducing the spidroin gene into Peter Parker will not be enough. The same remarks are valid in our case. We will have to grow his arachnoid glands, provide him with an enhanced metabolism, which will give additional speed, agility and balance - and energy for the synthesis of the web. This is hardly possible within our body, and it is unlikely that such experiments will ever be carried out. But the power of spider web polymers itself will sooner or later come to our service, and we will get a new amazing material for ultra-strong and lightweight clothing, cables, for medicine and complex optics. Perhaps such products will not look as impressive as the fantastic Spider-Man, but they will certainly save no less lives.

Virtual hero

The official launch of the video game "" took place on September 7. Unlike all previous games about Spider-Man, it allows you to not just defeat enemies in the form of your favorite superhero, and describes not just one episode from his superheroic life. Insomniac Games specifically created a story that will appeal to fans of Spider-Man.

Studying the abilities of spiders and lizards has enabled researchers to declare the reality of creating a suit that gives its owner abilities. Billions of hairs located on the surface of their paws help lizards climb steep walls, hang upside down from roofs, and stay on polished glass. Research conducted back in 2002 in the States showed that in the structure of these hairs there is a weak attraction between molecules, also called van der Waals forces. The cumulative energy accumulated due to attraction makes it possible to stick to almost any surface. An important role, in addition, is played by the ability of lizards and spiders to hold weight hundreds of times greater than their own, which gives them the opportunity to easily remain on a vertical surface for a long time.

Professor Nicole Pugno from the Polytechnic Institute of Turin, who is actively involved in the development of the unique suit, said that this energy can also be used to maintain the weight of an adult. The force of attraction in this case should be 200 times greater than that of the gecko. Also, do not forget that the larger the sticky area, the less effective it is. Thus, a glove covered with lizard hairs will be much less effective than a gecko's foot.

This is where nanotechnology has come to the aid of scientists. After all, if you make the sticky structure stronger, this will nullify the effect of size, and carbon tubes, which should become an alternative to natural hairs, are capable of generating a significantly greater force of attraction.

However, Pugno noted that this is only a theory, and scientists have a long way to go before creating the first prototype. The fact is that a supersuit must have three properties. The first of them, of course, is stickiness. The second is the ability to quickly unstick from the surface for the next step. And thirdly, there must be the ability of self-cleaning. After all, dirt particles significantly complicate the “life” of miniature structures that create a sticky effect. To do this, the suit simply must be, as Pugno puts it, super water-repellent. The problem is that all these qualities contradict each other. But the main unsolved problem remains that human muscles simply won’t allow for a long time hold on, for example, on the roof of a skyscraper. However, the luminaries of science do not despair, because spiders and lizards demonstrate day after day that the creation of a Spider-Man suit is a reality.

All that remains is to find a worthy use for it. I would like to believe that astronauts and window cleaners will find the miracle suit much more useful than the military.

At the beginning of July, the next piece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe puzzle, Spider-Man: Homecoming, hit the big screens. Jon Watts' film is a reboot of the Peter Parker story. For the first time in the history of the comic book adaptation, Spiderman is a teenager who struggles not only with villains, but also with youthful insecurities. Everything else remained the same: climbing walls, webs from hands, super strength and super hearing, as well as endless fan debates about whether Spider-Man could exist in reality. Let's look at this issue from a scientific point of view.

Mutation

In the fictional world: Peter was bitten by a spider. After a short time, the guy discovered his superpowers. Because the spider was radioactive and its venom contained mutagenic substances.

From a scientific point of view: Radiation, of course, can change DNA, but, firstly, it will not necessarily spread to all cells, and secondly, it is impossible to predict which of the 20 thousand genes it will affect. Mutation is a multi-stage process, which is why it is slow. Therefore, instead of superpower, Parker would be more likely to get a cancerous tumor. If, for example, radiation affected the genes “necessary” for Spiderman, then for the proper effect the spiders would have to bite Peter from head to toe.

Walking on steep walls

In the fictional world: Spiderman easily moves along vertical walls. Sticky limbs help him with this.

From a scientific point of view: To quickly move along steep walls, Spider-Man's body must be 40% sticky. Scientists, having studied geckos and mites that can cling to surfaces, came to the conclusion that real life Spiderman would only be able to walk on walls if he had huge feet and hands. For example, a superhero would have to wear size 145 shoes, as British and American scientists have calculated. Disproportionately huge limbs would make Spiderman look clumsy. There would be no question of branded “gadgets” a la acrobat.

Web

In the fictional world: Spiderman shoots his web far ahead, uses it to stop trains, and flies it over the city.

From a scientific point of view: Even movie spiders do not have the skills that Peter Parker received after the mutation, as you can see by watching themed films. What can we say about spiders in nature! The ability to lift weights of 20 tons is no joke. Scientists have proven that if Spider-Man existed in reality, he would have to weave a web as thick as a cable - the only way it could cope with the enormous loads that comic book creators came up with. The thickness of the web that a spider weaves in nature is measured in microns. The web is only dangerous for insects that get caught in the web. Spiderman's ability to synthesize a large amount of web also raises questions: from a scientific point of view, this requires giant glands. But it is true that spiders can shoot webs over long distances. Seven years ago, Darwin's spiders were discovered in Madagascar, which shoot webs up to 25 meters and always hit the target.

4. "Spider-Sense"

In film: Spider-Man has phenomenally acute hearing. He also senses danger in advance - long before it becomes tangible.

From a scientific point of view: Until recently, “spider-sense” was considered a fiction - a kind of myth invented specifically for Spiderman. However, a couple of years ago, American scientists found that jumping spiders have a unique ability to hear low-frequency sounds within a radius of five meters. Arthropods owe this ability to the sensitivity of the hairs located on their paws. This “superpower” allows horses to predict danger - the approach of wasps that lay eggs in spiders. The hearing of horses is “tuned” to the vibration frequency of the wings of wasps. Perhaps this was the spider that bit young Parker? Although if phenomenal hearing requires special explanations, then the “sense” of danger can be attributed to well-developed intuition.

When remembering the glorious, classic comic series, it is impossible to ignore the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man, which existed from 1963 to 2013! 700 issues is no joke. However, this article focuses only on the first ten issues. How did the formation of the now cult hero take place? What was he like 50 years ago? How did Peter Parker come up with his hero name, his costume and web shooters? Finally, why did the character become so popular?

Spider-Man was invented by a man with an incredibly rich imagination. One of the impressions that led to the creation of this superhero was... watching a fly climb a wall. Spider-Man first appeared in the magazine The Amazing Fantasy#15 in August 1962. The issue sold a record number of copies for Marvel, and it became clear to everyone at the publishing house: Peter Parker deserves a personal series. And so, in March 1963, the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man appeared on the shelves of comic shops.

However, first we still need to tell you how Peter Parker became Spider-Man. It only took 12 pages for the legend to be born.

It all started at a science fair. Peter Parker, the quiet schoolboy at whom everyone laughed, did not even suspect what surprise fate had in store for him. Captivated by a lecture on nuclear physics, the student did not notice how a radioactive spider descended on his hand and bit him. Feeling dizzy, Peter ran outside to get some fresh air. Dodging the car rushing towards him, he jumped to the sides and “stuck” to the wall of the house. Climbing up, Parker realized: he had received superpowers.

Well, then off we go. Having taken part in a fight without rules and being convinced of his strength, Parker went home and - a smart boy - came up with these “web shooters”. Yes, yes, he can only shoot webs with the help of web shooters (in Sam Raimi’s films, if you remember, Spider-Man shot webs directly from his hands. Filmmakers deviated from the canon in favor of the “organic” version, not wanting to waste time on implausible explanations operating principles of “web shooters”).

Inspired by the new possibilities, Peter Parker made his costume in one evening and came up with a heroic nickname: “I think Spider-Man will work as well as any other names.” The outfit, by the way, was different from the one we are all used to - from the wrist to the waist, on both sides, the superhero has a kind of “net” hanging, symbolizing a web. It is of no use, a purely decorative element, invented by artist Steve Ditko. In flight, Spider-Man looked a little like a flying squirrel. It's good that Peter Parker will update his wardrobe later.

As you probably already know, Peter Parker became a superhero largely because of tragedy: his own Uncle Ben was killed by a thief. Spider-Man caught the killer and handed him over to the police. It was then, apparently having comprehended a lot, that Peter Parker uttered the famous phrase: “With great power comes great responsibility." It is now usually attributed to the late Uncle Ben, again thanks to the movie Spider-Man.

It is believed (and completely justified) that Spider-Man is so beloved by readers precisely because he is not a millionaire, and not an alien from other worlds, but an ordinary schoolboy, the same person as you and me, albeit with spider DNA . At school he is always teased and humiliated. To him: he tries to court classmate Liz Allen, then Daily Bugle secretary Betty Brant, but in both cases without much success. At least at first. In addition, Peter constantly has no money, and he needs to help Aunt May after his uncle’s death. Bills are piling up. The superhero puts on almost a circus show, but does not receive a fee because a check addressed to “Spider-Man” is refused to be cashed at the bank.

As luck would have it, to all the problems, J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the influential Daily Bugle newspaper, publishes a “yellow” article about the wall climber: “Spider-Man is a threat.” And people in the 60s were so gullible! Peter is desperate. He tries to find a job, but no one wants to get involved with a schoolboy. Parker even thinks for a moment whether he should become a thief or a robber - since society has turned its back on him. But my conscience does not allow it. In the end, Parker finally finds a job: he becomes a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle.

Of course, a superhero is unthinkable without supervillains. Over the past ten years, comic book writers have come up with only a few bright, memorable negative characters. And Stan Lee introduced a new supervillain in each issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, most of whom are familiar to everyone to this day. Among them: Vulture (#2), Doctor Octopus (#3), Sandman (#4), Lizard (#6), Electro (#9), Mysterio (#13) and finally Green Goblin (#14) ... Of course, Spider-Man won in all fights: thanks to his spider-sense, acrobatics and web. The most exhausting battle was, perhaps, with Doctor Doom in issue five. Flash Thomson, Peter's classmate, put on a "spider" suit, planning to scare and even beat up Parker a little. And, of course, he was immediately mistakenly kidnapped by Doctor Doom, who decided to persuade Spider-Man to join a joint war against the Fantastic Four. Fortunately, this time the superhero prevailed.

To be honest, reading the first issues of The Amazing Spider-Man today is not easy. Yes, this is a classic and a must-read for every big Spider-Man fan, but still the storytelling style and art seem outdated. If you are new to comics, you shouldn't start your acquaintance with Peter Parker with the first issue of ASM. Better find The Amazing Spider-Man #648 – story line Big Time is a great place to start. And pick up the classics later if you realize that you NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING about Spider-Man.

Many teenagers wondered how to become Spider-Man after watching the film of the same name. In the film, a young man received special abilities after being bitten by a radioactive insect. Outside of the film, this path most likely will not bring anything good, since the venom of spiders is in many cases fatal to humans. What protects us from it is that spiders are not able to bite enough people.

Therefore, you need to come up with other ways to become the new Spider-Man. It’s worth, of course, buying the appropriate costume, but this will only create the appearance of a legendary hero. You can master climbing walls, like in the film, by turning to the experience of the famous French rock climber Alan Robert, who, using only his hands and feet, climbed the tallest skyscraper (Burj Khalifa, 828 meters) in six hours.

To achieve such a feat a year before his fiftieth birthday, Alan began training at the age of twelve by watching films about the great climbers of his time. Then he didn’t think about how there were other heroes and values. But in our time, A. Robert received just such a nickname. In addition to many years of training and rare fearlessness, the famous climber has the appropriate physical characteristics - he is small in stature (just over 1.5 meters) and has low weight.

Those who are thinking about how to become Spider-Man must first of all improve their physical form, to which, perhaps, in the near future it will be possible to pick up some additions from the field of high technology. Scientists have not yet learned how to make a “shooting” web built into a hand, but they have succeeded in creating super-sticky materials.

Based on the movement of the gecko lizard, representatives of the University of Akron created a surface with many nanotubes that create strong adhesion to the surface. An adult can hang from a small piece of such film, which makes it possible to create suits for moving along walls and ceilings in the future. But without well-developed muscles this will be impossible. Therefore, most likely, these materials will be used to move robots in space.

The question “how to become Spider-Man” has been asked by boys and men for more than fifty years (the first comic book on this topic was published in 1962). Perhaps the long-lasting popularity of this hero is due not to special effects, but to the motives of his behavior. In all the series, Spider-Man saves someone and fights evil. You don't need a colorful costume or a special web for this.

“How to become a black Spider-Man” is a topic that is not so widespread. This costume was worn by the cinematic hero in the last century (from 1984 to 1988). The comic book character had four costumes in total - from the traditional two-tone black and white suit to an armor suit with new technical devices. Regardless of his appearance, he never changed his essence - to help the downtrodden and protect the weak.