Arachnids, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 30, 2004

Ancient Sea Spider Related to Scorpion

The fossil of an ancient sea spider thought to be related to modern scorpions has been discovered near Herefordshire in the UK. The 425-million-year-old creature was encased and preserved in volcanic ash. Sea spiders are soft-bodied arthropods common in oceans today. Biologists have long wondered about the relationship between them...

Jul 31, 2005

Gene Sequence for Super Spider Silk Discovered

Scientists have uncovered the genetic sequence for one of the strongest silks that spiders produce, a discovery that could one day be used to make super spider-silk products for humans. Not all spider silk are created equal. For example, spiders use dragline silk to create the scaffolding for their webs,...

Oct 31, 2007

Huge Claw Belonged to 8-foot Sea Scorpion

The giant fossil claw of the largest sea scorpion found yet has just been uncovered. The 18-inch (46-centimeter) claw likely belonged to an 8-foot (2.46-meter) sea scorpion. Sea scorpions are thought to be the extinct aquatic ancestors of scorpions and possibly all arachnids. This is an amazing discovery, said researcher...

Feb 28, 2007

Male Spiders Leave Chastity 'Plug' to Ensure Paternity

A male orb-web spider leaves behind a post-coital gift that helps to ensure that any subsequent offspring are his. He leaves the tip of his genitals in the females' sexual orifice, effectively blocking future males' efforts to inseminate the female, new research shows. Video: Spider CouplingThe behavior damages the males'...

Oct 31, 2008

Unraveling the Wonders of Spider Silk

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. Spiders have fascinated Cheryl Hayashi since her undergraduate days at Yale, where one day a professor offered her an opportunity that changed her life. Hayashi had to hand-feed the professor’s laboratory colony of tropical...

Dec 31, 2007

How Spider-Man Compares to the Real Thing

In a culture that finds it hard to love most bugs, spiders are nonetheless the ones we tend to accept or at least admire at a distance for their ingenuity with locomotion, insect hunting and home-building. In each of those areas, the web's the thing, as any Spider-Man fan can...

Nov 30, 2009

Creepy Case: Tarantula Shoots Hairs into Owner's Eye

A creepy case of a man who got tarantula hairs stuck in his eye has doctors advising people to wear eye protection when handling the eight-legged pets. In February 2009, a 29-year-old man visited the St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, England, after enduring three weeks of a red, watery...

Sep 30, 2009

Largest Web-Spinning Spider Discovered

About the size of a standard CD, a newly described spider is now considered the largest in a class of web-spinners. Scientists discovered remains of the species of golden orb-weaver, now called Nephila komaci, among museum collections in South Africa and recently more dead specimens from Tembe Elephant Park in...

Sep 30, 2009

Oldest Known Spider Webs Discovered

Silken spider webs dating back some 140 million years have been discovered preserved in amber, scientists announce today. The viscous tree sap flowed over the spider webs before hardening and preserving the contents, which were discovered in Sussex, England. Other bits sealed up in the amber included plant matter, insect...

Sep 30, 2014

Goliath Encounter: Puppy-Sized Spider Surprises Scientist in Rainforest

Piotr Naskrecki was taking a nighttime walk in a rainforest in Guyana, when he heard rustling as if something were creeping underfoot. When he turned on his flashlight, he expected to see a small mammal, such as a possum or a rat. When I turned on the light, I couldn't...

Jun 30, 2014

Giant Ancient Sea Scorpions Had Bad Eyesight

Gigantic sea scorpions that lurked in the ocean more than 400 million years ago weren't as scary as they sound, a new study suggests. The massive creatures, known as pterygotids, were the largest arthropods that ever lived, growing to be up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) long, with claws measuring...

Apr 30, 2014

The Fiercer Sex: Why Female Scorpions Sting More Quickly

Female scorpions may sting more quickly to compensate for their slower running speed, new research shows. And that sluggish running, and extra female fierceness, may be a result of the extra weight they carry from pregnancy, the researchers said. The females are heavier, and they can't sprint as fast, said...

Jul 31, 2015

Walking Dead: How Wasp Overlords Control Spider Zombies

Like a mindless zombie controlled by a menacing overlord, the spider scampers back and forth, reinforcing its silky web. Not long from now, the subservient arachnid will be dead, its web transformed into a shelter for the spawn of the creature that once controlled it, according to a new study....

Jun 30, 2015

Spidey Senses Tingling! Arachnids Feel Sex

Spider sex just got a little more interesting. Researchers now find that the spider equivalent of the penis isn't numb like once believed; it's filled with nerves that might help the spider ensure fertilization. Male spiders mate using specialized appendages called pedipalps, which end in structures called palpal organs. The...

Jun 30, 2016

Vibrantly Colored 'Starburst' Scorpionfish Discovered in the Caribbean

A riotously colorful new species of scorpionfish has been found deep in the Caribbean near Curaçao. The fish is orange-red, with splashes of yellow and pink decorating its fins and face. Its scientific name is Scorpaenodes barrybrowni, after nature photographer Barry Brown, who works with the Smithsonian Institution mission that...