Is spider web really stronger than steel?

Can you really swing from spider silk? Sponsored by Henson Shaving - Head to https://hensonshaving.com/veritasium and use code “veritasium” for 100 free blades with any razor purchase. Just add both the razor and blades to your cart. Last year, we launched the Elements of Truth game on Kickstarter and were thrilled by the response. We’re now in the final stages of production, with Kickstarter rewards shipping soon. Pre-order the retail edition here: https://ve42.co/YTSpiderSilk If you’re looking for a molecular modelling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically - https://ve42.co/SnatomsV For weekly science news, and an exclusive Q&A where writer/director Vibhor Pandey discusses the making of this video, sign up to the Veritasium newsletter - https://ve42.co/Newsletter For early access to work-in-progress videos, join our Patreon - https://ve42.co/VePatreon ▀▀▀ 00:00 Could Spider Silk Let You Swing Like Spider-Man? 00:44 Is Spider Silk Really Stronger Than Steel? 02:29 Testing Spider Silk's Tensile Strength 03:48 The Strongest Silk on Earth 05:34 Spider Silk vs Kevlar vs Steel 07:37 The Nanostructure Behind Spider Silk's Strength 08:42 Why We Can't Farm Spiders 10:16 Engineering Fake Spider Silk 15:04 From the Silk Road to CRISPR 21:31 Real-World Uses and the Ultimate Swing Test ▀▀▀ Special thanks to the experts and collaborators who made this video possible: Professor Todd Blackledge and the Blackledge Spider Lab at the University of Akron, for welcoming us into the lab, walking us through how spiders make and use silk, and letting us put the real material to the test. Jon Rice and the team at Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, for opening their doors, sharing their transgenic silk, patiently explaining how their engineered silkworms work, and helping make the spider-silk swing possible. Professors Keiji Numata, Chris Holland, Sara Goodacre and Greg Holland, for generously sharing their time and expertise in our research co