It’s Stormy Monday….for spiders! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Approaching storms make people rush to the grocery store for the last of the milk. Could storms also affect the behavior of…spiders? Enter Jonathan Pruitt from UC Santa Barbara and
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Sometimes you gotta risk it for the biscuit! This is Sandra Tsing-Loh, with the Loh Down on Science. Decisions, decisions! Paper or plastic? Bagel or breakfast burrito? Every day, we make these life-or-death decisions. Is this a human-only trait? George Uetz from the University of Cincinnati says, No – spiders
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Ladies love a guy dressed in black…especially lady SPIDERS! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying that’s right! Male peacock spiders use a slick dance and super black spots to woo the ladies. These areas aren’t just dark, they’re SUPER dark! Meaning, they absorb more
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What do you get when you cross a mushroom with a spider? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Mosquitoes are not just annoying — some are deadly! Anopheline mosquitoes in Africa transmit life-threatening diseases like malaria with one bite. What’s worse, they’re becoming resistant to
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As if spiders weren’t scary enough…they’re listening to us, too?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Jumping spiders are vicious predators known for their keen eyesight. Not so much for their hearing, because they lack eardrums. But now researchers from Harvard and Cornell have spun
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My spidey senses are… silky? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. By weight, spider silk is stronger than steel! However, perfectly reproducing this versatile material has proven difficult. How do spiders successfully spin silk? Lucas Parent at Northwestern University and David Onofrei at San Diego
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What’s YOUR biggest “fear factor?” Heights? Snakes? CLOWNS??!! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Whatever your phobia, it can be paralyzing! To overcome our fears, we can expose ourselves to them bit by bit. But it’s a slow process. Enter a research group led by
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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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The latest designer colors could be coming to you soon courtesy of… tarantula hair? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Researchers at the University of Akron are interested in spider hair. Specifically, the hairs of the Metallic Blue Ornamental tarantula. This giant spider gets its
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Shooting webs! Climbing walls! What else can Spiderman do? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Broken bones are the worst! Fortunately, bone tissue can regrow. Installing metal plates can help support bone growth. But metal can be irritating – isn’t there a better way? Maybe!
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