I love the way that this vintage science video about The Black Widow Spider looks. It's likely from the early 60s, but the exact date of the video is unknown. At 2:50 in the video, you can see an up-close shot of the black widow making an egg sac. I was pretty surprised at how huge this bubble-like sac was in comparison to the black widow's body — I had no idea this is what the egg sac creation process looked like. I also didn't know that the baby spiders have a phase where they're translucent and ghostly-looking.
This vintage video is the best Black Widow spider explainer in the entirety of the Internet
New groups of Spiders from Earth named after David Bowie
From the Natural History Museum: Rising from the ashes of the wastebasket taxon, 49 Bowie spiders have been reclassified from Ctenus. Other species, meanwhile, have had previously unknown sex morphs described for the first time. In addition, Peter has described 55 entirely new species, whose names draw on David Bowie's musical catalogue. Species from the most northerly areas where the Bowie… READ THE REST
Scientists convert dead spiders into cybernetic grabbers
What's worse than cyborg spiders? Dead cyborg spiders! …Unless you're part of the "necrobotics" (yes really) lab at Rice University, in which case, dead cyborg spiders can actually be a handy tool for creating a set of mechanical grippers that can pick up objects while blending into natural environments. From the press release: "It happens… READ THE REST
This animal catapults itself away right after having sex (and it isn't a human)
After mating, the male Philoponella prominens spider—a type of orb weaver native to Japan and Korea—catapults itself away from the female at astounding speed. Why? To avoid being eaten by the female once the deed is done and its services are no longer required. Researchers captured high-resolution video of the spider's launch, clocked between 32… READ THE REST
Save $63 on these award-winning translation earbuds while donating to charity
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Summer may be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean your adventures have to stop. Whether it's a business trip or weekend galavanting around town, broadening your world can be… READ THE REST
Level up your communication with a three-year subscription to Markup Hero
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Nothing's worse than trying to find that random image someone sent you, however many months back, frantically searching through email threads for something that looks familiar. Not only is that stressful, but it's… READ THE REST
Study for a perfect score and help kids in need by purchasing this portable monitor
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Studying has become incredibly unconventional, starting with doing everything online and continuing with giving textbooks the axe. So if you're ditching the stacks for a more modern way to focus on your… READ THE REST
