News tagged with spider
Most stretchable spider silk reported
The egg sac silk of the cocoon stalk of the cave spider Meta menardi is the most stretchable egg sac silk yet tested, according to a study published Feb. 8 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.
Feb 08, 2012 |
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Male spiders of one species lose their genitals after sex to increase sperm count in females
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have known for some time that the male sex organ, called a palp, in orb-web spiders is often broken off during copulation with females; what hasn’t been so clear is why. ...
Feb 02, 2012 |
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A spider web's strength lies in more than its silk
While researchers have long known of the incredible strength of spider silk, the robust nature of the tiny filaments cannot alone explain how webs survive multiple tears and winds that exceed hurricane strength.
Technology / Computer Sciences
Feb 01, 2012 |
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Jumping spider uses fuzzy eyesight to judge distance
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the ways in which humans determine distance is by estimating the sharpness of an image—closer objects produce a sharp image, while those further away are out of focus. For us, ...
Jan 27, 2012 |
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New research shows how male spiders use eavesdropping to one-up their rivals
Researchers have made a new discovery into the complex world of spiders that reflects what some might perceive as similar behavior in human society. As male wolf spiders go searching for a mate, it appears they eavesdrop, ...
Jan 04, 2012 |
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Silkworms spinning spider webs
(PhysOrg.com) -- A spiders silk is strong and more elastic and has a large range of possible medical applications. However, spiders have a history of being territorial and prone to cannibalism, so the idea ...
Jan 03, 2012 |
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Invisible fungi crucial for rainforest diversity
A complex network of fungi in the lower canopy could be one reason tropical rainforests are home to so many different types of insects, spiders and centipedes, say scientists.
Dec 21, 2011 |
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Bigger, scarier weapons help spiders get the girl (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- If you're a red-headed guy with eight bulging eyes and a unibrow, size does indeed matter for getting the girl.
Dec 12, 2011 |
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A whole new meaning for thinking on your feet
Smithsonian researchers report that the brains of tiny spiders are so large that they fill their body cavities and overflow into their legs. As part of ongoing research to understand how miniaturization affects ...
Dec 12, 2011 |
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Researchers link patterns seen in spider silk, melodies
Using a new mathematical methodology, researchers at MIT have created a scientifically rigorous analogy that shows the similarities between the physical structure of spider silk and the sonic structure of ...
Dec 08, 2011 |
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Spider know-how could cut future energy costs
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Oxford University and The University of Sheffield have demonstrated that natural silks are a thousand times more efficient than common plastics when it comes to forming fibres.
Nov 24, 2011 |
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Big pest, small genome: Blueprint of spider mite may yield better pesticides
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international research team decoded the genetic blueprint of the two-spotted spider mite, raising hope for new ways to attack the major pest, which resists pesticides and destroys crops ...
Nov 23, 2011 |
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Shrimp-like crustacean found to make gooey underwater silk
(PhysOrg.com) -- Fritz Vollrath and colleagues from Oxford University have been analyzing the gooey material produced by tiny amphipods known as Crassicorophium bonellii, a small shrimp-like creature that p ...
Nov 23, 2011 |
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Chemical weapon in spider silk repels ant attack: study
Researchers have shown for the first time how Golden orb web spiders (Nephila antipodiana) add a chemical to their web silk to repel invading ants.
Nov 23, 2011 |
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Paying for sex and 'playing dead' - the deceitful gift-giving spider
Male nursery web spiders (Pisaura mirabilis) prepare silk-wrapped gifts to give to potential mates. Most gifts contain insects, but some gifts are inedible plant seeds or empty exoskeletons left after the pr ...
Nov 13, 2011 |
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