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NEWS ABOUT: spiders

More About:  arachnid • spider silk • phobias • fear of spiders • web • lightning • spider venom • genes • Philippines • Maine • Alabama • recall • wildlife • produce • snakes • snake • Craigslist • Mazda • Facebook • shark • ship • construction • Brazil • science • eBay

How to Survive in the Wild: Be a Good Mimic

Just ask the dancing spider, the jawfish, and the octopus

(Newser) - If you're a fan of animal mimicry stories, today's just like your birthday:
  • Spider dance: Biologists have discovered that a male wolf spider who sees another male doing a little spider dance to attract a mate will not only mimic the moves but try to improve upon them
... More »

Maine Shipyard Finds Black Widows in Cargo

Warship fumigated after deadly shipment arrives from California

(Newser) - A Maine shipyard that builds all sorts of ships for the US Navy received an unexpectedly dangerous shipment from its California supplier—two dozen black widow spiders that had hitched a ride in a shipment of launch system parts. An exterminator was called to get rid of the arachnids that... More »

Scientists Find Inflatable Shark, 300 New Species

Treasure trove of strange new creatures discovered by scientists

(Newser) - No, it's not a pool toy. Researchers have discovered a new species of inflatable shark, along with more than 300 other previously unknown varieties of creatures dwelling in the Philippines. Among the finds: the shrimp-eating shark that fills itself with water to inflate and scare off predators; dozens of... More »

Spider Infestations Trigger Mazda Recall

Toxic spiders found dwelling in fuel lines

(Newser) - If you're not already an arachnophobe, a bizarre recall from Mazda might be enough to turn you into one. The Japanese automaker is recalling 65,000 vehicles in North America because of infestations of poisonous spiders, the BBC reports. The yellow sac spider—which has a mildly toxic bite—has... More »

Man Burns Himself Badly ... Trying to Kill Spider

(Newser) - A British man ended up in the hospital yesterday after burning himself quite severely while ... trying to kill a spider. He was called into the bathroom after his wife saw the spider crawl behind the toilet. Not being able to reach it, he decided to use an aerosol spray to... More »

Ship Halted After 'Spider Tsunami'

Thousands of spiders pour from Guam ship

(AP) - Authorities in Guam have turned away a ship after thousands of spiders poured out of its cargo as it headed into port. Hundreds of large spiders and thousands of smaller ones were seen when stevedores began offloading insulation and beams for housing units from the ship, the MV Altavia, which... More »

Stuff I've Found in My Cleavage

Don't call a locksmith about your missing keys until you check your bra

(Newser) - The basics for an evening out—money, keys, lipstick, an ID—fit nicely in a small handbag. You might be tempted to tuck them into your bra, but think again. "I stored lipstick in mine once, and it dislodged while I was dancing and leaked all over me like... More »

Spider Silk Discovery Opens Way to Super Matter

Method may "make it possible to build bricks from straw'

(Newser) - Spider silk is yielding secrets that could pave the way for incredibly strong building materials, researchers say. MIT scientists found that the silk uses a unique crystal structure that makes it both strong and able to bend without breaking. They believe it is possible to copy that structure to turn... More »

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... More »

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... More »

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
... More »

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... More »

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. More »

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... More »

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... More »

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... More »

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... More »

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... More »

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