spiders

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Killer Spiders Invade Sydney
 Killer Spiders Invade Sydney 
Jan 21, 2010 1:44 AM CST

Killer Spiders Invade Sydney

Warm weather blamed for influx of funnel-webs

(Newser) - A heavy infestation of funnel-web spiders is giving Sydney residents the jitters. Experts say the spider—one of the deadliest and most aggressive in existence—is arriving in unusually large numbers because of warm and wet weather. The spider's bite can be fatal within two hours, although no Australians have...

Airport Nabs Brit With 1,000 Spiders

Arachnid smuggler could get jail, $2M fine

(Newser) - A British pet shop owner was nabbed at the airport in Rio de Janiero this week after customs officers found 1,000 live spiders in his checked baggage. Police say it's the biggest seizure of wildlife ever made at the airport. The spider-smuggler now faces up to a year in...

The Most Common Phobias
 The Most Common Phobias 
happy halloween
Oct 31, 2009 3:07 PM CDT

The Most Common Phobias

Don't like spiders and snakes? Join the club!

(Newser) - In honor of Halloween, LiveScience reveals the most common phobias. If you still need a costume, you'll scare the most people by playing on their evolutionarily sensible fear of creatures with venomous fangs. The top terrors:
  1. Snakes
  2. Spiders and other "creepy crawlies"
  3. Places that are difficult to escape, such
...

World's Biggest Web-Spinning Spidey Found

Rare African orb-weaver spins 3-foot webs

(Newser) - A gargantuan new species of orb-weaving arachnid found in South Africa is the biggest web-spinning spider ever discovered, scientists say. The female Nephila komaci has a leg span bigger than a man's hand and spins webs more than 3 feet wide, the BBC reports. Arachnophobes will be glad to hear...

Scientists Build a Better Web—by Adding Metal

(Newser) - Scientists have combined spider silk with metal atoms to boost web strands' already-phenomenal strength, reports Ars Technica. The breakthrough experiment advances the science of creating ever-stronger materials, as well discovering a successful method to bond metal to biological material. Experiments are already under way to make chicken eggs stronger.

Look for Black Widows in Your Grapes
Look for Black Widows
in Your Grapes
glossies
Apr 3, 2009 7:18 PM CDT

Look for Black Widows in Your Grapes

(Newser) - Spiders are hitching rides into grocery stores on organically grown grapes, and growers can't find a way to stop them, Gourmet reports. The problem is, spiders are helpful: They feast on bugs that feast on grapes, allowing growers to avoid pesticides. But stores from Boston to South Africa are...

Hey Hey, My, My, It's Spider Man

New arachnid species named for rock legend Young

(Newser) - A new spider species has been named for rocker Neil Young, an outspoken advocate for environmental issues, Reuters reports. A biologist and Neil Young fan who discovered the species named it Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. It's not the first such honor for a singer. A beetle was recently named Orectochilus orbisonorum after...

New Tech Spins Silk Like a Spider

Process is a step towards manufacture of the super-strong material

(Newser) - A German team has created a device that spins silk like a spider, producing material five times stronger than steel. The fiber produced is of poor quality, but the new process is a step toward the goal of cheap, artificial spider silk. "It adds a piece to the puzzle...

Humans Wired to Fear Snakes
Humans Wired to Fear Snakes
Mar 5, 2008 4:42 PM CST

Humans Wired to Fear Snakes

Scientists find innate ability to discern slithering critters in the wild

(Newser) - Evolution seems to have given humans a hard-wired ability to recognize snakes and spiders, LiveScience reports. Intrigued by the widespread fear of serpents despite the fact that most humans rarely interact with them, researchers showed groups of adults and 3-year-olds natural scenes containing various hidden animals. Both groups were consistently...

New Web Trend Sparks David vs. Goliath 2.0

Web giants mobilize to stop developers from 'scraping' their content

(Newser) - Some call it “scraping,” others call it “importing.” Either way, it’s a controversial process pitting independent software developers against the titans of the cyber world: Techies compile, or scrape, loads of data from search engines and social networking sites and pool the data on their...

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