Scientists glued to fly-silk find

STICKY silk from flies could be used in surgery as an alternative to stitches, scientists believe.

A team from the University of Utah discovered that flies can bind things together under water with their silk. The scientists say the discovery could lead to a new super adhesive that could be used to stick body tissues together.

The team found that caddisfly larvae wrap their silk in elaborate patterns over rock and sand to make them stick together.

Prof Russell Stewart said: "I picture it as sort of a wet Band-Aid, maybe used internally in surgery … like using Scotch tape on the inside of a box to hold it together."