James O'Hanlon’s easy and humorous style makes Silk and Venom a readily digestible and satisfying meal for anyone with an interest in the natural world.
The surprising parallel between spider silk spinning and fibres toxic to humans could lead to new clues about how to fight neurodegenerative disorders.
The small and unassuming Steatoda nobilis.
JorgeOrtiz_1976/Shutterstock
Once confined to the Canary Islands, noble false widow spiders are casting their web worldwide.
How to entangle the universe in a spider/web?, 2022, Tomás Saraceno. Courtesy the artist with thanks to Arachnophilia, neugerriemschneider, Berlin and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles.
Photo Credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford Image Courtesy Studio Tomás Saraceno and MONA Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
To many people, Australia’s spider diversity is a source of fear. To arachnologists, it’s a goldmine, with most Australian spider species still yet to be discovered.
Don’t be afraid of spiders – be afraid for spiders
Steatoda grossa, also known as the false black widow spider, poses little threat to humans. True black widows only bite when they are disturbed.
Mike Hrabar
Our fear of spiders is driven by a lack of information, but these fascinating creatures are often more harmless than harmful.
Scorpions used to be a rural problem in Brazil. Now, residents of São Paulo and other urban areas are dealing with an infestation of these venomous creatures.
AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini
Brazil’s scorpion infestation, which is terrorizing residents of São Paulo and other major cities, is a classic ‘wicked problem.’ That means officials must think outside-the-box to fix it.
There’s a very good reason for those leg hairs.
Flickr/Hamish Irvine