Spider silk is a self-assembling biopolymer with hydrogen bonds underlying its chemical structure, yet despite weak chemical bonding it outperforms most materials relative to mechanical performance. The biopolymer is produced ...
Spider silk, already known as one of the strongest materials for its weight, turns out to have another unusual property that might lead to new kinds of artificial muscles or robotic actuators, researchers have found.
Materials Science
Mar 1, 2019
10
1147
Scientists have revealed for the first time the natural weapon used by marigolds to protect tomato plants against destructive whiteflies.
Biotechnology
Mar 1, 2019
3
1470
Senckenberg scientist Dr. Peter Jäger has described four new species in the huntsman spider family. One of the newly discovered animals reveals a surprising specialization: It makes its home inside of bamboo. To enter the ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 28, 2019
0
7
Spiders that pretend to be ants to fool predators have an unusual problem when it comes to sex.
Plants & Animals
Feb 27, 2019
0
262
It's early in the morning. The buzzer goes off, you switch on the light and immediately panic: a large spider sits on your bedroom wall!
Plants & Animals
Feb 14, 2019
0
22
A researcher at Royal Holloway, University of London, has discovered a new species of spider in Indonesia.
Plants & Animals
Feb 13, 2019
1
2738
Usually, soft-bodied species like spiders aren't fossilized in rock like animals with bones and teeth. More often, ancient spiders and insects are more likely to be discovered preserved in amber.
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 12, 2019
0
1147
A new to science species of tarantula with a peculiar horn-like protuberance sticking out of its back was recently identified from Angola, a largely underexplored country located at the intersection of several Afrotropical ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 12, 2019
0
617
Spiders are one of the most successful groups of 'invaders' on the planet. Out of over 47,000 species of spiders known today, there are some that tend to follow humans across the globe and settle in habitats far away from ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 11, 2019
1
5
