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Spiders In Spaaaace! (Web Spinning In Zero-G)

EnolaGaia

I knew the job was dangerous when I took it ...
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Scientists have screwed with spiders quite a bit ti see how various influences (weights; spinning in a centrifuge; LSD) affect their web creation. Newly published research finally provides some reliable results on how zero gravity affects orb spiders' web building.

The article linked here also includes a summary of past experiments and how they went awry. I recommend it for a chuckle ...
Spiders in Space Reveal The Weird Things That Happen to Webs in Microgravity

Now, a study of orb spiders (Trichonephila clavipes) in space has revealed that these smart arachnids can orientate themselves with light when there is no gravity to tell them which way is 'up'.

Scientists have conducted myriad spider gravity experiments over the decades. Spiders have had small weights attached to them, been put in a centrifuge, been made to build their webs horizontally (which the spiders were reportedly very unimpressed about), and continuously rotated as they tried to build a web.

"These observations and experiments strongly suggest that gravity is an important factor during web building, but they cannot answer the question, whether spiders can build webs in zero gravity and, if yes, how the zero-gravity environment will affect the completed web," a team of researchers from Switzerland and the United States writes in a new paper. ...

FULL STORY (With Photos):
https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-what-happens-to-spiders-webs-in-space
 
Here are the bibliographic details and abstract from the newly published research report. The full report is accessible at the link below.

PUBLISHED RESEARCH REPORT:
Zschokke, S., Countryman, S. & Cushing, P.E.
Spiders in space—orb-web-related behaviour in zero gravity.
Sci Nat 108, 1 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-020-01708-8

Abstract
Gravity is very important for many organisms, including web-building spiders. Probably the best approach to study the relevance of gravity on organisms is to bring them to the International Space Station. Here, we describe the results of such an experiment where two juvenile Trichonephila clavipes (L.) (Araneae, Nephilidae) spiders were observed over a 2-month period in zero gravity and two control spiders under otherwise identical conditions on Earth. During that time, the spiders and their webs were photographed every 5 min. Under natural conditions, Trichonephila spiders build asymmetric webs with the hub near the upper edge of the web, and they always orient themselves downwards when sitting on the hub whilst waiting for prey. As these asymmetries are considered to be linked to gravity, we expected the spiders experiencing no gravity to build symmetric webs and to show a random orientation when sitting on the hub. We found that most, but not all, webs built in zero gravity were indeed quite symmetric. Closer analysis revealed that webs built when the lights were on were more asymmetric (with the hub near the lights) than webs built when the lights were off. In addition, spiders showed a random orientation when the lights were off but faced away from the lights when they were on. We conclude that in the absence of gravity, the direction of light can serve as an orientation guide for spiders during web building and when waiting for prey on the hub.

Full Report Accessible At:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114-020-01708-8
 
I don’t mind spiders, but I know a few people who are terrified of them simply because they seem to drop from out of nowhere. Can you imagine weightless spiders? Hopefully the astronauts don’t have Arachnophobia.

The description of the two helpless spiders trying to contain the population of fruit flies is funny. I bet the space crew were cursing the scientist who designed that experiment.:rofl:
 
I came across these experiments before Christmas. They didn't go into much detail. That was some lovely detailing by Enola, there about Orb Spiders in space. :)
 
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