Yes. That's still the description of the PROBLEM that the Amsilk survey article addressed... which KBLB is ignoring.
That a protein is "produced consistently with its native structure" and "will bring its native characteristics to the silk fiber"... doesn't address the issue. It just means you can put spider silk proteins into the mix... which they did with one protein, and used that to SUGGEST it would work with all others.
That I can expect the spider protein (link of chain) to be formed into the proper shape by the gene, and that it will "bring its native characteristics to the silk fiber" doesn't alter the FACT that... it's still just an isolated island of a bit of spider silk protein, floating in a sea of silk worm silk (or rubber bands).
Get enough links of chain incorporated in your chain of rubber bands, and it will improve its performance versus just rubber bands... but it will never match a chain made of chain links.
There is an INHERENT lack of fiber uniformity that results when you take that approach to "including bits of this other stuff" in an existing matrix... which isn't exactly a new issue in composite fiber manufacture.
You are incorrect in the rest...
Amsilk says they are making fibers whose "tensile strength is comparable to that of natural spider silk"... and I have no reason to doubt that is true, given they've proven (unlike KBLB) that I CAN TRUST what they say...
KBLB is NOT making fibers comparable to natural spider silk.
KBLB claims to be making fibers even as you say "superior to silkworm silk"...
But, "superior to silk worm silk"... with natural limits that mean it can't ever be improved to "comparable to that of natural spider silk" just isn't as good as fibers whose "tensile strength is comparable to that of natural spider silk" that can be improved over time to EXCEED the qualities of the natural product.
Exactly what I predicted would happen given the different trajectories in the tech development efforts... HAS happened...
AMSilk is winning this competition... hands down...
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