It’s awesome stuff, as this video explains.
Also recommended if you want to learn more: this book, Spider Silk: Evolution and 400 Million Years of Spinning, Waiting, Snagging, and Mating. There’s so much coolness in spider biology, I’m tempted to offer an elective in the subject…except that I think it might be too narrowly focused for our curriculum, and about half the students would refuse to go anywhere near it.
Cool, and the amber is so beautiful as well.
I love spiders. They’re my favourite invertebrate, except possibly after bees and octopuses. I wonder if it’s that they’re all venomous? Is that an indication of my preferences? Not that I’m particular keen of snakes.
Thank you, Dr. Myers, for alerting us to this video. I’ve always been fearful of spiders (still am) but I have a hell of a lot more respect for them, especially after finding out they’ve been here for over a hundred million years.
Not a huge fan of spiders, but they ARE fascinating creatures!
I love spiders, they are our friends and help keep pests (like flies) down.