Storm of Spiders

It’s Stormy Monday….for spiders? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet Jonathan Pruitt and team from U-C Santa Barbara. They wondered if—similar to how humans rush to grocery store to hoard toilet paper—tropical cyclones make spider colonies more aggressive. They put a piece of paper

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Dreaming Spiders

Do spiders dream of… eight-legged sheep?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science… saying… Wait! Spiders… dream? Well, to do that, they’d have to experience REM sleep. That’s a deep sleep state characterized by rapid eye movements. That’s when most of our HUMAN dreams occur!  Now,

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Electric Spideyland

My Spidey-sense is tingling! Is there a storm on the way? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Like Spider-Man, spiders release a line of silk and then LEAP into the air. This is called ballooning, and it’s how spiders travel far and wide. Some can

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Web Designers

Welcome to the world-wide SPIDER web! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Spiders – love ‘em or hate ’em, we can all appreciate their intricate web designs. Ever notice that webs have similar patterns? It’s as if they were created by the SAME master architect!

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Hangry and Blind

I’m so hangry, I’m BLIND with rage! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Spiders are known for their super sharp vision. Different factors can affect this ability. What about diet and nutrition?  Shubham Rathore from University of Cincinnati and team investigated.  They had two groups

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Space Spiders

Spiderweb

Oh what a tangled web we weave…in space?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Many spider webs found in nature are asymmetrical: their top part is smaller than the bottom. Could GRAVITY play a role in this off-center web weaving? Samuel Zschokke from the University

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Dreaming Spiders

Spiders – they bite! They jump! They…DREAM? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s bedtime and you stare up at your ceiling. A SPIDER! Do you flee? Do you leave it be? Maybe it’s asleep? Say… do spiders… dream? Daniela Robler and team from Washington

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Web Designers

Welcome to the world-wide SPIDER web! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Spiders – love ‘em or hate ’em, we can all appreciate their intricate web designs. Ever notice that webs have similar patterns? It’s as if they were created by the SAME master architect!

Continue reading

Space Spiders

Spiderweb

Oh what a tangled web we weave…in space?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Many spider webs found in nature are asymmetrical: their top part is smaller than the bottom. Could GRAVITY play a role in this off-center web weaving? Samuel Zschokke from the University

Continue reading

Baby Spider Boom

A handful of baby spiders crawling on a web

  Stop and smell the…SPIDERS?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sunny spring days mean it’s mating season in the Arctic! BUT these warm days are arriving earlier each year. What does this mean for creepy-crawling wolf spider moms-to-be? Ask Toke Høye and colleagues from

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