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For me, each day begins and ends with wanting to learn a little more about the secrets of spider silk.

You don't work with spiders very long before you start noticing how important silk is to their life and just how special that is for spiders.

With all due respect to arachnophobes, I love spiders. Some might call me obsessed, but I've been studying spiders and spider silks for many years now and don't see an end in sight. There is simply too much to do.

The very first thing on the docket is to have the opportunity to travel to look at spiders in other parts of the world. I know there are really cool silks out there.

To borrow from the writings of a spider named Charlotte: 'Silk is terrific!'

Apparently, as a kid, I used to eat spiders. Maybe there's some Freudian significance behind that.

Most spiders eat and remake their webs every night.

There are so many spiders, and their rituals, their mating rituals, their courtship ritual, can be very, very different.

The next time you see a spider web, please, pause and look a little closer. You'll be seeing one of the most high-performance materials known to man.

There's a lot to do when you're a kid - spiders to catch, girls to poke in the eye - stuff to be getting on with.