Resilin, which also gives fleas the ability to make their enormous leaps, gives these and other insects an astonishing capability of movement. Thanks to this substance, fleas are able to jump many hundreds of times their own height and some flies are able to beat their wings over 200 times a second.
The protein obtained from resilin is far better than the highest-quality rubber products in its ability to resist pressure and revert to its former shape. Continuing experiments on artificial resilin show that the protein still maintains these features.
Scientists state their belief that the polymer obtained from cloning insects' genes can be employed in a variety of very different fields, from medicine to industry. But perhaps the most important of these applications will be treating arterial disease in humans. Because resilin resembles the protein elastin in human veins, scientists hope that their studies will endow veins with renewed elasticity.