Spider meets scorpion.
FDA shuts down nicotine addiction study over allegations of “cruel” treatment of animals
The monkeys used in the study will be sent to an animal sanctuary.
Biologists discover 18 new species of spiders — and they look just like pelicans
Though they might look goofy, these assassins are ruthless killers.
This amazing rainbow peacock spider might inspire the optical technology of tomorrow
This cute fellow has unique nanoscale structures that break light like a prism.
These sea spiders breathe through their legs
It’s amazing how nature can evolve sometimes.
Eco-friendly artificial spider silk mimics one of nature’s strongest materials
The artificial spider silk is non-toxic and the manufacturing process is sustainable.
Spiders are just like cats: they too like chasing laser pointers
It’s better than Batman.
Unique new species of spider found in China masquerades as a leaf
In China’s Yunnan rain forest, one exploring arachnologist came across one of the most peculiar spider species ever.
Despite lacking ears, spiders can hear you talk across the room
Tingling spider senses.
Spider personalities are influenced by temperature
The findings could have implications for the survival of modern animals in the face of global warming.
Spider silk-inspired wire extends like a solid, but compresses like a liquid
. Perhaps the most impressive feature of spider silk is that it’s taut even when it’s been stretched to several times its original size. Inspired by the orb spider’s silk, researchers at University of Oxford and the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris made their own artificial spider silk thread that extends like a solid, but compresses like a liquid.
Tiny spiders no bigger than a pencil tip are fastest in the world
Though minute, these are far from insignificant as their pray have learned the hard way. In fact, it’s their small body that allowed them to become the fastest snapping spiders in the world!
Almost a spider: Scientists find 300-million year old pre-spider
Scientists have identified a 1.5 cm creature that predates the dinosaurs by 100 million years. While not exactly a spider, the tiny beast is the closest relative to spiders, but its lineage is extinct. Spiders are basically ubiquitous. They can be found on every continent except for Antarctica and in every environment ever – except in the air and under
Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is why you’ll never be Spiderman
Geckos are the largest animals able to scale walls. They use the same mechanism as spiders and hundreds of other animals able to do so: through tiny hairs on their pads that adhere to surfaces due to molecular force interactions. But why isn’t there an animal bigger than the gecko that can cling to windows and walls? For that matter, why isn’t there any Spiderman?
Parasitic wasps turn spiders into zombies… again!
Wasps are a nasty bunch; you don’t want to mess with them no matter who you are. Not only can they sting you really bad and ruin your day, they can actually control your mind, force you weave a web for their offspring and then kill you – well, if you’re a spider at least.
Ocean-going spiders use their legs to windsurf on the water
Spiders are more adaptable than we give them credit for, and they can make pretty good sailors – a new study has found that some spiders can use strands of silk to windsurf on the ocean surface. It’s been reported for centuries, even Charles Darwin noticed it: “ballooning” spiders flutter from the air into the sails of their ships, kilometers away
The science of ‘ballooning’ – or why it’s raining spiders in Australia
It’s raining… spiders. Countless baby spiders are falling from the ski in the Australian city Goulburn, South Australia, covering the entire landscape in spider webs.
Spiders weave graphene-infused silk: the strongest of both worlds
Graphene – the one atom thick sheet of carbon arranged in a hexagon lattice – is the strongest material known to man, and spider silk is one of the strongest found in nature, second only to limpet teeth. Heck, why not combine the two? Sounds silly, but it surprisingly worked when Nicola Pugno of the University of Trento, Italy sprayed spiders with both graphene particles and carbon nanotubes. The spiders weaved silk infused with the materials, and in some cases the silk was 3.5 times stronger than its natural counterpart. The resulting fiber is tougher than “synthetic polymeric high performance fibers (e.g. Kevlar49) and even the current toughest knotted fibers,” according to the paper published in Materials Science, which obviously entails a lot of real-life applications, industrial or otherwise.
Arachnophobia may be embedded in your DNA
Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, is one of the most common phobias humans have. But out of all the spiders that live today, really very few are dangerous – so why is it that we fear them so much then? Researchers from Columbia University believe they might have found the answer to that – and it’s strictly related to human evolution.
The ultimate bandaid: synthetic spider silk
There aren’t blood vessels you’re seeing, but itsy bitsy strands of artificial spider silk. For some years, researchers have been investigating synthesizing spider silk for a variety of very good reasons. Spider silk is the toughest known natural material, and has been explored in its synthetic variety for use as bulletproof vests, synthetic skin, biodegradable water bottles and even computer electronics. These strands presented above, however, serve a different purpose: as a bandaid meant to help regenerate skin and heal wounds.