A sticky compound in spider webs could lead to the development of a new generation of non-petroleum adhesives and glues, scientists in Wyoming said.

Much research has been conducted on spider web silk, which rivals steel in strength, but comparatively little is known about the glue that coats the silk, said Omer Choresh, a microbiologist at the University of Wyoming.

Studies suggest spider web glue ranks among the world's strongest biological glues and could play a key role in replacing petroleum-based adhesives, Choresh said in a recent issue of the journal Biomacromolecules.

Choresh and his team analyzed web glue from the golden orb weaving spider and identified two new glycoproteins produced from opposite strands of the same DNA, the university said in a release Tuesday.

The challenge now is to clone genes related to the glue for large-scale production of biobased, environmentally friendly adhesives, Choresh said.