It’s well understood that spiders have poor eyesight and thus sense the vibrations in their webs whenever prey (like a fly) gets caught; the web serves as an extension of their sensory system. But ...

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Every year Halloween enthusiasts adorn their homes with synthetic cobwebs. But humans aren’t the only creatures who decorate their abodes. Spiders bedeck their webs with “stabilimenta”—various woven ...

A tethered mosquito approaches the web in the path of release of the cone, and triggers web release response. Credit: S.I. Han and T.A. Blackledge, 2024. Ray spiders deploy an unusual strategy to ...

Researchers have finally figured out how slingshot spiders (Theridiosoma gemmosum) are so accurate when they fire their webs at prey. Everything from the timing to the angle at which they fire their ...

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Unusual experiments with drug-influenced spiders revealed that caffeine distorted web-building more than any other substance, a finding later explored by NASA to measure toxicity. 'Border 2' box ...

Sulfur caves are among the most extreme habitats on Earth. They are completely dark and filled with hydrogen sulfide gas, which is toxic to most life-forms. Inside, species’ survival depends on ...

Happy Halloween, Short Wavers! In today’s news round-up, we’ve got only treats. Hosts Regina Barber and Emily Kwong fill in NPR’s Ailsa... This week in science: spiders, TV pixels and storytelling ...