When people talk about crazy zombie fungi that hijack bug bodies, they're usually talking about cordyceps. I recently learned about this similar fungal pathogen that lives in dank basement and likes to attach itself to common cellar spiders through the joints in their legs, slowly consuming their insides until all that's left is a fuzzy white ghost husk hanging in your basement. Neat.
Fuzzy white fungus eats spiders alive but it's not cordyceps
New spiders named after Neil Gaiman, Peter Gabriel, and others
A recent study from the scientific journal ZooKeys has re-examined and reclassified 33 different kinds of trapdoor spiders of the Ummidia species. As the paper's authors explain: Taxonomic work on New World Ummidia has been sparse aside from these original descriptions, the most recent of which are over half a century old. Despite these shortcomings the genus… READ THE REST
Whip spiders are having a renaissance
Whip spiders, also known as tailless scorpions or amblypygids, are a weird member of the arachnid family. They are mostly harmless to humans, with no fangs or tail or even silk production glands (although they do have some mantis-like pedipalp appendages for grabbing prey). These butt-less wonders have typically received much less attention than their… READ THE REST
Creepy scenes of Australian town blanketed in spider webs
Flooding in Victoria, Australia this week has driven people, and apparently spiders, out of their homes. The mass arachnid migration resulted in a blanket of webs across East Gippsland. Australia's 7News quoted University of Sydney integrative ecologist Dieter Hochuli: "This is a surprisingly common phenomenon after floods. These are a group of spiders called sheet… READ THE REST
Grab this Bluetooth speaker from legendary audio brand Marshall for 10% off
Sound quality and functionality are everything when it comes to the speaker you use to play music. What's the point of listening to your favorite artists and songs on anything that makes them sound less than perfect? Even when it comes to smaller, mobile boomboxes, you shouldn't have to compromise quality for portability. Legendary amplifier… READ THE REST
Master the world of cybersecurity and be a part of one of the fastest-growing careers
Just like you'd do your research before making an investment, searching for a career path that promises long-term growth is of utmost importance. And given that jobs in cybersecurity are predicted to grow 31% through 2029, which is more than seven times faster than the national average job growth of 4%, training for a career… READ THE REST
Challenge the way you see the world by learning a new language with 45% off the Busuu app
Sure, school may be out of session for you, but you're really never truly done learning. There's still so much out there to explore in the big bad world, and all of that culture isn't just going to shove itself on your little standing desk next to your world's best boss mug. When you're ready… READ THE REST
