Stopping wool from shrinking

From San Diego, at a meeting of the American Chemical Society

You accidentally toss your favorite wool sweater into the wash, and it reemerges toddler size. To prevent such accidents, scientists in Austria have created an enzyme treatment to protect wool clothes from shrinkage.

Wool fibers are composed of keratin proteins bundled into microfibrils. The fibrils are wrapped in a natural scaly cuticle.