Silk is a thermoregulator?

Photo copyright Kelli Slack Designs and Monika Dechene photography.

I knit this wonderful silk shawl several months ago and I was thinking about it again recently. I love the feel of silk and silk yarn is no exception. I bought some fantastic Handmaiden silk lace for the shop and I was considering keeping a skein for myself. It really is just a luxurious yarn. The hand, fabric, and sheen are lovely and I really want to design something new.

Anyway. As I was contemplating this silk yarn, I recalled a video I had watched several weeks ago where the narrator talked about a giant hornet's nest being thermoregulated by the silk from the hornets. This lead me down the path of wondering. I like silk yarn. Silk yarn feels cool to the touch, but warms on your skin. It never feels hot on your skin though. Could silk from the Bombyx silk moth be a thermoregulator? Turns out. Maybe.

I found a great research article about electricity in silk that discusses thermoregulation a bit. Read the article for yourself and tell me what you think. Could Bombyx silk be a thermoregulator? https://www.nature.com/articles/srep05434