AN OXFORD University professor is attempting to explain the mysteries behind the amazing adventures of Spider-Man with extensive academic research.

The research by Professor Fritz Vollrath comes as part of a special on-screen edition of the University of Oxford's Biochemical magazine.

Professor Vollrath said: "Seeing Spider-Man swing through New York City tingles the spine and exercises the brain.

"His ease in making and manipulating gossamer filaments for aerial stunts is truly breath-taking and awe inspiring - which, for materials biologists with decades of experience analysing the stuff, is humbling to say the least, as totally unforseen and novel capabilities and capacities emerge."

When explaining the scientific context for Spider-Man's impressive powers Professor Vollrath says that the use and production of silk has independently evolved over the past 400 years.

He said: "As silk dope takes time to synthesize, these glands must be rather bulky to hold sufficient material to allow at least a day’s travel – ie comparable to a spider, who starts her work with a web’s worth of material in storage."

Professor Vollrath continued to say that his research suggests Spider-Man's silk would have to be very strong in order to hold his weight.

He said: "In the film footage, the threads appear rather bulky, with apparent diameters in the range of centimetres rather than millimetres.

"While Spider-Man is a rather slim male of average height, with a bodyweight of approximately 75kg, he does, from time to time, transport a prey or companion.

"In addition, he seems to swing with great panache, which would generate g-forces doubling or tripling his own weight."

Professor Vollrath added that he thought Spider-Man's novel technology could have important applications to human industry.

He said: "Unlike spiders, Spider-Man has mutated a spinning system unlike any other found in his spidery lineage.

"All known spiders spin by pull-trusion, whereas Spider-Man appears to use push-trusion.

"This is intriguing, as it seems to fly in the face of traditional silk production.

"Perhaps Spider-Man has discovered a way of silk spinning which is novel to nature as we know it."