Someday soon, you may be able to buy clothing made of spiderwebs!

Researchers at Shinshu University have succeeded in injecting spider genes into silkworms to create a thread that is stronger, softer and more durable than conventional silk. A Japanese manufacturer is already experimenting with the thread, and spider socks, stockings and even fishing lines are expected to appear on the market within a few years.

The possible applications of spider thread go beyond clothing. The material is biodegradable, and could replace synthetics used in such diverse items as tennis rackets, body armor, and medical sutures. Link -via Arbroath

Man, oh man! With all the great facts you guys provided, we had a doozy of a time picking the winners. For the holiday movie/music trivia fact, we narrowed it down to our two favorites: the submissions on It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. When it came down to it, though, we had to give the decision to Kate Hansen for submitting this great fact:

When the movie A Christmas Story was being cast, Jack Nicholson was given the script and was very much interested in the role of Mr. Parker, “The Old Man”, according to director, Bob Clark. However, Clark didn’t learn of this until later, and the studio didn’t want to pay Nicholson’s fee anyway, which would have doubled the budget. Regardless, Clark says that Darren McGavin was still the better choice and was born to play the role.

And for the plant-themed day, Thomas surprised us with this great trivia nugget:

The vast majority of our breathable oxygen comes from oceanic plants and single-celled plantlike protists. Only about 20 percent comes from terrestrial plants.

We had our fact-checkers look into it and most sources say between 20 and 30 percent so we'll give him credit (and a shirt) for that one. Kate and Thomas, 2 great mental_floss T's will be coming your way. And thank you to everyone else for sharing your smarts with us. Don't forget, Neatorama readers can use the discount code "Neatorama" when you order from mentalfloss.com to get 10% off anything at our store.

(Live Leak link)
The long-eared jerboa has been caught on film in the Gobi desert for what scientists believe is the first time ever. The tiny nocturnal mammal is on the IUCN endangered species list. Link -via Arbroath

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Cello trio Melo-M and the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra (of Latvia) perform Europe’s The Final Countdown. -via I-Am-Bored

(image credit: Flickr user petrst)
deputydog found some really impressive fire station designs from all over the world, and posted his seven favorites. I am partial to the Hill Street Fire Station in Singapore, in the photo above. http://deputy-dog.com/2007/12/06/7-of-the-coolest-fire-stations-on-earth/

Each Urban Collectable car is completely unique and has been individually hand burnt. The range includes The Joy ridden 2-door Hatchback, The Mini Van/Insurance Scam and The Petrol Bombed Jeep.

$49.95 each. http://www.chinnychinchin.net/eshop/chinnychinchinsj.html -via J-Walk Blog

Jason wanted to stage a memorable proposal to his girlfriend Maui. He pulled it off, with the help of their favorite author, Neil Gaiman (previously on Neatorama), when he autographed one of his books for her. It took extra prompting to get her to stop and read the dedication! Link to story. Link to video. -via Grow-A-Brain

From 1923 to 1986, American automobiles ran on ethyl, a gasoline that prevented engine knock due to its lead content. Within days of its introduction, refinery workers began dying. However, the oil industry managed to explain away the deaths and quash investigations into lead’s effect on people and the environment. A scientist named Dr. Clair Patterson noticed how lead contamination affected his research, and waged a decades-long campaign against ethyl which finally led to the Clean Air Act of 1970. Read the entire fascinating story at Damn Interesting. Link

Santa Claus keeps his office in Santa Claus Village near Rovaniemi, Finland (a part of Lapland, inside the Arctic Circle). He welcomes visitors year round, but if you can’t go, you can watch via webcam! There are two office webcams, inside and outside. Santa doesn’t work 24 hours a day, so mind the time difference in Finland. You cannot judge when it’s night by the outside webcam, since the sun will not rise in the Arctic Circle for weeks. Link

New Christmas Cards from Cara Scissoria this year include Fred and Ginger, as well as seven other designs that made me giggle! Be sure to check out "Poe Ho Ho". http://www.carascissoria.com/sept07/index.htm -via Everlasting Blort

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Psychologist Mitchell Spero trained his pet turtle to do dog tricks! Florida can sit, stay, and roll over (turtles in the wild do their best to avoid the rollover). Spero uses his turtle as an example of overcoming obstacles, to encourage the children he works with. Link -via Arbroath

The Movida nightclub in London has launched a new cocktail that will sell for £35,000. That’s roughly equivalent to $71,000 US dollars. They call this drink the Flawless, and it will be mixed and served under the supervision of security guards.

The cocktail consists of a large measure of Louis XII cognac, half a bottle of Cristal Rose champagne, some brown sugar, angostura bitters and a few flakes of 24-carat edible gold leaf. The drink is described as warming and refreshing, but that is not the main reason for the exorbitant cost: at the bottom of the crystal glass is an 11-carat white diamond ring.

The nightclub has already taken several orders. Link -via Fark

Eshel Ben-Jacob of Tel Aviv University has a gallery of art made from the patterns bacteria form with they grow in petri dishes. This one reminds me of a Yes album cover! Link -via Dump Trumpet

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Yes, we do. -via b3ta

Skarabej is an “online museum of old family photographs” from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, the Czech Republic, and Croatia. Many were found in anonymous collections at flea markets or in attics, although some are contributed.

Although we collect we are not collectors. We would like to create an archive of memmories of unknown people and events and make them available to everyone. No doubt, we are all going to be in forgotten, old family photographs.

The wedding photo above is from the Marenãiç family of Croatia. Link -via Metafilter