About This Lesson
Dissecting a silkworm cocoon before the adult has emerged provides many clues about the transformation of a silkworm into an adult moth—a change that is normally impossible to view through the walls of a cocoon once it has been constructed. In this activity, you’ll learn about the insect origins of silk by dissecting a cocoon and “degumming” it to reveal the protein, called fibroin, that scientists use for constructing new materials.
