Brain Teasers
Stronger Than Steel
Riddle
Riddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.Riddle
Stronger than steel, yet lighter than cotton
Found in a corner, forever forgotten
I bother so many, but marvel a few
You can't seem to make me
I'm a mystery to you.
Found in a corner, forever forgotten
I bother so many, but marvel a few
You can't seem to make me
I'm a mystery to you.
Hint
I am used for protectionBut also a weapon.
Answer
Spider silk.Spider silk is one of the most remarkable materials on Earth. Besides being five times stronger than steel, it is also extremely lightweight: a strand of spider silk long enough to circle the earth would weigh less than 16 ounces.
Despite years of study, researchers are still baffled by spider silk and have not been able to duplicate it.
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Comments
I knew that.
I guessed spider web- not silk. Great teaser!
Nice. Totally didn't get it Rated it high
This one I got, but I liked the way it was written!
Didn't get it -- got stuck thinking of dust bunnies (maybe I should clean house more often!)
Good one, though.
Good one, though.
A nice bit of trivia . I was guessing dirt or time.
A perfect riddle.. explanation was a nice bonus. Well done!
Ha. Nice effort.
Chiliwormeater approves.
Chiliwormeater approves.
I finally got one on the first attempt. Good Teaser.
Excellently written and explained. Totally had me going.
Ha Wikipedia is my favorite spot too and I see thats where you got most of all of your information from. No complaints, good research.
Haha yes I did look it up on wikipedia (who wouldn't? ), although the idea for the riddle and most of my info came from a magazine article that I read. The 16 oz thing did come from wiki
I didnt know about this.
Thanks I learnt something new
Thanks I learnt something new
Good one, I didn't get it right.
Wow spider silk is 5x stronger than steel?
thats messed up and i was guessing spider web that was an excellent riddle
thats messed up and i was guessing spider web that was an excellent riddle
"I bother so many . . ."
I'm one of the many.
It's nicely worded, and taught me some new facts! Good job!
I'm one of the many.
It's nicely worded, and taught me some new facts! Good job!
nice riddle
Good riddle, God has many things that science only conjectures about.,
Nice, enjoyable riddle. For some reason spider web popped into my head as soon as I read the riddle. Good Job. Thanks for posting.
Interesting,but on the easy side.
Builder, you took the words right out of my mouth! God is amazing!
Great riddle
Great riddle
It was certainly the only thing I could think of, so I'm glad it was right.
Very well written, but sadly very easy. I liked it though.
I liked it a swell, and amazingly spider web popped into my head right away. I didn't think it was right, but I couldn't come up with anything else. Very nice teaser.
Very fun and informational!
Great teaser!
Great teaser!
Great Teaser, you had me stumped.....
NICE 1!!!
i knew it at the 1st line
I thought I knew the answer...and I DID! YAY!
nice one!!! this seems like one of those questions that would be good for jeapordy!
Duh. Stronger than steel is the title, spiderweb is my guess, didn't need the riddle.
EASY! But also kind of fun.
I guessed cobweb also. Isn't that the same? Forever forgotten?
Not in my house!!!
Not in my house!!!
I thought about cobwebs, too. A friend of mine calls if 'Irish Lace' when she finds them in those odd little places. Then I thought about 'will', as I didn't know about the steel thing-Very cool!
It was really difficult for me. Why does it seem so easy to everyone else?
I hate to jinx myself, but I've been getting more riddles lately! (It's OK if some1 informs me they've been especially easy!!) The second reading and spider web popped in! Yay!
It was a good one. I didn't know the facts about the spider-silk either didn't even think of that I would never ave gotten it either. Oh well just another one I didn't get.
I totally got tht one, cause im just cool like that
I already commented on this one in 2012 and that dear "Little green man" is why there are so few comments today. Everyone has worked it already and do not bother doing it again. Why should they? There needs to be someway to get new people interested.
Babe -
Let us ask you something (and to anybody else with an open mind):
This teaser got 30 comments the year it was posted (2009).
Why do current (2015) posted teasers get so few comments?
Why aren't you (and anybody else with an open mind) posting comments on current (2015) posted teasers?
You can blame it on me/us (BadBunny clan) ... but I don't think we are the reason.
We think saying so is just an excuse to avoid the issues we (the BadBunny clan) continue to raise.
Attacking us is just a denial of the real problems here.
Thanks for reading this and thanks for giving it some unbiased thought - if you do so.
US
Let us ask you something (and to anybody else with an open mind):
This teaser got 30 comments the year it was posted (2009).
Why do current (2015) posted teasers get so few comments?
Why aren't you (and anybody else with an open mind) posting comments on current (2015) posted teasers?
You can blame it on me/us (BadBunny clan) ... but I don't think we are the reason.
We think saying so is just an excuse to avoid the issues we (the BadBunny clan) continue to raise.
Attacking us is just a denial of the real problems here.
Thanks for reading this and thanks for giving it some unbiased thought - if you do so.
US
There have been almost 50 new teasers posted in 2015.
Over 50% of those have three or fewer comments.
If the TOTDs are wearying to you (because of the redundancies), then why are you not posting comments on the new ones?
You can continue to blame it on trivial things (such as our constancy in raising the issues) ... but .....
That's just a "straw man" for you to hide behind.
And ... speaking of "man" / "men" ....
Tripleteam5 (from yesterday's TOTD): ...
I'm a woman ... NOT a "he"/"him".
Yours (one of US)
Over 50% of those have three or fewer comments.
If the TOTDs are wearying to you (because of the redundancies), then why are you not posting comments on the new ones?
You can continue to blame it on trivial things (such as our constancy in raising the issues) ... but .....
That's just a "straw man" for you to hide behind.
And ... speaking of "man" / "men" ....
Tripleteam5 (from yesterday's TOTD): ...
I'm a woman ... NOT a "he"/"him".
Yours (one of US)
Now ... back to the TOTD of today.
Spiders that spin webs (most do) have (often) more than one "spinneret" .
They can "combine" products of two or three different spinnerets to produce a 'thread' (and resultant web, if needed) with different characteristics such as size (diameter) - length - elasticity - 'stickyness' - and such. A complex web can have several different "types" of threads.
Marvelous critters. Among nature's finest.
Or ... (if you prefer) ...
One of the best products of the "Intelligent Designer" ("God", to most of you, I suspect).
If so ... then the ID must have a VERY sophisticated laboratory ... AND ... some neat VERY VERY VERY tiny "tools".
Hmmmm ... wonder if the ID also did the sophisticated lab ... and, if so, also did the sophisticated factory that did the sophisticated lab and the ....
Oh, well. I get lost in these circular arguments sometimes.
Can we just leave it that spiders are VERY interesting. Even the deadly ones that the ID did, also.
US
Spiders that spin webs (most do) have (often) more than one "spinneret" .
They can "combine" products of two or three different spinnerets to produce a 'thread' (and resultant web, if needed) with different characteristics such as size (diameter) - length - elasticity - 'stickyness' - and such. A complex web can have several different "types" of threads.
Marvelous critters. Among nature's finest.
Or ... (if you prefer) ...
One of the best products of the "Intelligent Designer" ("God", to most of you, I suspect).
If so ... then the ID must have a VERY sophisticated laboratory ... AND ... some neat VERY VERY VERY tiny "tools".
Hmmmm ... wonder if the ID also did the sophisticated lab ... and, if so, also did the sophisticated factory that did the sophisticated lab and the ....
Oh, well. I get lost in these circular arguments sometimes.
Can we just leave it that spiders are VERY interesting. Even the deadly ones that the ID did, also.
US
got it from the title before I even read the teaser; nice one.
LGM...I comment on almost every teaser!
Chalk up another guess for spider web.
LGM-DO YOU EVER SHUTUP? By the way I click you everyday.
The last line of the riddle may not be accurate anymore. In recent years, several companies have started developing synthetic spider silk. If anyone wants to read an article on it, then combine the next two lines into a single URL.
http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i9/
Spider-Silk-Poised-Commercial-Entry.html
Just an FYI.
http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i9/
Spider-Silk-Poised-Commercial-Entry.html
Just an FYI.
I got this one right away and loved the fascinating information. Thanks for a good one.
VERY IMPORTANT !!!!
My apologies to:
Raisin99
and
Doodler
Rasin99: I was pointing out that those who comment here (on the TOTD) seem to ignore commenting on the new Teasers as they are posted (almost daily).
I just did a quick run on the last 50 posted teasers (since about Dec 2014 - about when I signed on).
I could not find your name anywhere as a commenter. If you DID post somewhere, please let me know and accept my apology therefore.
Thank you for your comments on the TOTD. We appreciate them.
Doodler: Why don't you go register some comments on new teasers (I couldn't find your name there, either) instead of wasting your time and energy chasing after me on the TOTD?
Then you could add some proof to your rants. Try it.
US (still here and still laughing and still posting new teasers)
Raisin99
and
Doodler
Rasin99: I was pointing out that those who comment here (on the TOTD) seem to ignore commenting on the new Teasers as they are posted (almost daily).
I just did a quick run on the last 50 posted teasers (since about Dec 2014 - about when I signed on).
I could not find your name anywhere as a commenter. If you DID post somewhere, please let me know and accept my apology therefore.
Thank you for your comments on the TOTD. We appreciate them.
Doodler: Why don't you go register some comments on new teasers (I couldn't find your name there, either) instead of wasting your time and energy chasing after me on the TOTD?
Then you could add some proof to your rants. Try it.
US (still here and still laughing and still posting new teasers)
"Raisin" (another apology)
HMM that reminds me......*grabs duster and heads off to clean.....*
HEY ... HEY ... HEY
The Gizzer is back !!!!!!!
(I never "met" her but Dad - the original BadBunnee - used to rave about her teasers)
So ... one thing I did when I first signed on was to look at them (all 81 of them).
Now ... if you want a REALLY "good time" ... I suggest you do the same !!
US (Dad included)
The Gizzer is back !!!!!!!
(I never "met" her but Dad - the original BadBunnee - used to rave about her teasers)
So ... one thing I did when I first signed on was to look at them (all 81 of them).
Now ... if you want a REALLY "good time" ... I suggest you do the same !!
US (Dad included)
Oops ....
Forgot to tell you how to do it.
Go to "advanced search" (to your left on this screen) ... and enter Gizzer in "submitter"
Forgot to tell you how to do it.
Go to "advanced search" (to your left on this screen) ... and enter Gizzer in "submitter"
I had no idea and did not get it. Just because there are so few comments does not mean people are not using Braingle. Some people do not comment or play the games without signing in.
I thought of spider silk right away. I absolutely hate spiders, they terrify me for some reason. Very good riddle
and information in the answer. As for comments, I comment every day, unless it is a TOTD that I don't participate in, like a movie I haven't seen. SOME people seem to comment rarely, unless it is to complain.
and information in the answer. As for comments, I comment every day, unless it is a TOTD that I don't participate in, like a movie I haven't seen. SOME people seem to comment rarely, unless it is to complain.
The little grey cells aren't working as well now....I'd done this before, but still managed to forget! I really like re-learning the info, though!
This is a wonderfully written riddle. It was not immediately obvious to me; it took several readings for the imagery to come into focus. Very well done.
I wonder how they quantify "strength". I find it hard to believe spider silk is stronger than steel. Maybe some ratio of tensile strength vs. weight is higher for spider silk, but it sounds like the type of argument that would claim an ant is stronger than a man.
I'm not complaining here. I love the teaser, partially because it raised such musings for me.
I wonder how they quantify "strength". I find it hard to believe spider silk is stronger than steel. Maybe some ratio of tensile strength vs. weight is higher for spider silk, but it sounds like the type of argument that would claim an ant is stronger than a man.
I'm not complaining here. I love the teaser, partially because it raised such musings for me.
I got it! Great lil riddle.
This teaser has been around for awhile, so not to criticize, but it is a bit out-dated, because scientists revealed in 2019 that they have finally succeeded in making synthetic spider silk. See "www.ign.com/articles/2019/12/24/ scientists-can-now-make- synthetic-spider-web-silk" (remove the spaces which were required to get the string under Braingle's 50 character limit).
Fun and entertaining teaser. I guessed spider web this time around and that would also be correct since they are made out of spider silk.
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