‘Slingshot spiders’ accelerate 100X faster than cheetahs
The slingshot spider can launch itself at pray with a velocity of more than 13 feet per second. Unsuspecting mosquitoes don't stand a chance.
Tags: amazon spiders science-and-technology predators speed
Four ways people stuck at home became armchair naturalists during lockdown
Citizen scientists have helped researchers track the changing environment during the pandemic.
June 17, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: covid-19 coronavirus citizen-science air-pollution lockdown urban-wildlife spiders
Warming Arctic nudges wolf spiders to cannibalism
To compete in a warming Arctic, wolf spiders get bigger, reproduce more, and eat different foods—including other spiders.
Tags: climate-change arctic ecosystems spiders featured earth-and-environment
Peacock spiders show more of their colours
A new batch of these ostentatiously coloured and popular arachnids is described in Australia.
Tags: animals australia spiders
Wales a haven for wildlife - but for how long?
It is one of Europe's "best wildlife secrets" and home to unique and unusual species.
Tags: environment conservation birds bees nature reptiles animals wildlife wildlife-conservation snakes bats amphibians puffins seals dolphins spiders rspb wolves natural-resources-wales cardiff maesteg swansea st-fagans cardigan ospreys merthyr-tydfil aberystwyth slugs menai-bridge skewen bala new-quay aberdyfi snails caerphilly guillemots razorbills snowdon toads
Biodiversity: The best plants for attracting insects to gardens
With insect populations in decline, a study shows how gardens can support beetles, spiders and the like.
Tags: environment insects spiders gardening
Tiny pest-eaters benefit from smaller farm fields
"...natural enemies can be more abundant when agricultural landscapes are made up of smaller farm fields." Natural enemies mean fewer pests eating crops.
Tags: insects agriculture ecosystems spiders earth-and-environment shapes pests
Creepy research: VR spiders, squirrel fangs, and scary memories
From virtual spiders to a scary fanged squirrel, here are three creepy research stories from 2019 to celebrate Halloween.
Tags: virtual-reality memory halloween holidays fears spiders science-and-technology medical-researchers
Listen: Expert debunks scary myths about spiders
Do we swallow spiders while we sleep? Are daddy-long-legs actually a spider? In this podcast, an expert gives you the facts about arachnids.
Tags: spiders featured science-and-technology
Spiders inspire nerve-like sensors for drones
With better sensors and inspiration from nature, drones and self-driving cars could detect and avoid objects more easily.
Tags: robots sensors drones spiders biomimicry science-and-technology nerves
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