This is very cool: it’s a series of scanning electron micrographs of spider book lungs. I’d like to hang a few of those on my wall.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
This is very cool: it’s a series of scanning electron micrographs of spider book lungs. I’d like to hang a few of those on my wall.
Beautiful…
beautiful! thank you.
I had a friend from S. Africa who told me about a time she and some friends were staying in a lodge in Kenya. they turned off the lights to go to sleep and it was darker than dark and very quiet, they were miles from anywhere, but… they heard breathing. coming from somewhere in their room. they turned on the lights, looked around–nothing, no animal crouched under the bed or anything.
turned the lights back off–breathing. soft, but definitely something was breathing, and it was in their room. they turned the lights back on, searched some more, and finally saw the very large spider perched on a rafter. apparently those book lungs can move some air.
It’s hard to get perspective at those magnifications. What were those mushroom-shaped projections on the surfaces?
Those are lovely. The textures are amazing.
I started singing the Spider-Man theme song to myself, but replacing ‘Spider-Man’ with ‘Spider-Lungs’. Didn’t get past the first line, though.
I think I may be a nerd.
Spider Lungs!
Spider lungs!
They’re much tinier
than Kim Il Sung’s!
Shaped like books
on a shelf
Not enough air
to save an Elf
Look out!
You stepped on Spider Lungs!
I should never have tried that, where’s Cuttlefish?
Amazing! There are more cool shots in his paper:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k70411w88334h2uh/fulltext.html
Pretty awesome work from what looks like a 14-year-old kid.
“Resolving a longstanding conflict, Kamenz’s studies confirmed three years ago that book lungs evolved from gills only a single time in the ancestors of arachnids.” Heavy duty! So technical that I can’t follow it, but it sure is cool.
What’s not so widely known is that spiders share their collections of book lungs; taking a breath and then returning them to the collection so that others can enjoy them. They keep these collections in FLYbraries.
Spider lungs. probably the missing ingredient for my super-villain potion.
Greetings from Japan. Glad I bumped into this site. Splendid post too… ——– You might think I’m crazy but I am bonkers for airplane ceiling fan.