Latest News in the Business and Financial World

Monday, March 1, 2021
Log in
  • Home
  • Company News & Financials
  • OTC Markets
  • Tech & Science
  • Health & LifeStyle
  • About WS OTC
    • Analysts & Contributors
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • Feedback
    • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Mobile
  • Latest News
    • New Theories Explain the Disappearance of the Mayan Civilization
    • What Happens If Coral Reefs Die?
    • Monsanto Loses Lawsuit for its Herbicide Products
    • Mankind (MNKD) shares Plunge after FDA Approves Afrezza, inhaled Insulin for Diabetes patients
    • Psychologists Confirm that Violent Video Games Boost Aggressiveness
    • World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor Release Date on Nov 13
    • iPass Global Hotspot Map Unveils Worldwide Wi-fi Coverage

Pages

  • About Wall Street OTC
  • Advertising
  • Analysts & Contributors
  • Contact
  • Feedback
  • Mobile
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Terms of Service

Recent Posts

  • SF Hospital Slaps New Parents with $19K Bill for Baby Treatment
  • Furious Trump Blasts Harley-Davidson for Moving Production Overseas
  • Warning! MRI Machines Could Poison You
  • Flight Attendants More Likely to Get Certain Cancers
  • More Red Meat Allergy Cases Related to Lone Star Tick Bites

Amazing Spider Weaves Electrically Charged Nano-Strands

Jan 29, 2015 By Kevin Calderon 1 Comment

Email, RSS Follow

amazing spider

One of the most feared creatures on the earth just became ten thousand times cooler.

A team of researchers from Oxford have recently discovered the amazing weaving technique of a spider called Uloborus plumipes. As if the micrometer-thick strands that most spiders create were not impressive enough, the new species spins its webs at a nano-scale. On top of its excellent weaving method, the so-called “garden center spider” can also create sticky webs without using organic glue, like the regular spiders. Instead, the lace weaver uses electrostatics very efficiently for catching prey.

To put things into perspective, a nanometer is a millionth of a millimeter. Knowing this fact makes us even more impressed with the long and strong fibers which make up the spider’s web, despite their small size. One way scientists could use the newly discovered spider is by studying its weaving technique and improving the way we manufacture enhanced polymer fibers.

The lab studies were conducted by Katrin Kronenberger and Fritz Vollrath, the two scientists who discovered the “amazing spider”, inside the Oxford University’s zoology department. They began by photographing and filming the female spiders with professional equipment, showing them while spinning their silky threads.

Some very astonishing differences came up once the researchers studied the spider’s anatomy, starting from the way the silk is produced. The glands responsible for the creating the webs generated liquid silk – a phenomenon you don’t see too often among spiders. Therefore, this particular spider shapes its liquid threads quite easily, which causes them to stretch and freeze very soon. An interesting observation showed that stretched fibers became very strong.

The researchers soon found out the reason for the amazing webs: the gland which is responsible for producing silk, the cribellum, is made up of thousands of 500-nanometer-long tubes; also, the spider’s cribellum is one of the tiniest among all the spiders.

If you are wondering about the electrostatic feature of this amazing spider, the experts who discovered it also explained how that works. Basically, the insect filters the solid threads over his hind legs’ hairs in an intense move, charging them quite strongly. Due to this quick move, the strands become sticky and attract prey, just like a plastic ruler behaves when you rub it quickly and then is able to attract bits of paper or a plastic bag.

These two memorable features of the Uloborus plumipes make it invincible. Nano-sized threads weaving into electrically charged webs are a deadly combo.
Image Source: Jenskjeld Info

Email, RSS Follow
The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts

Kevin Calderon

Kevin is a content-crafter at Wallstreet OTC specializing in editorial and news. He promised us that he will keep his articles short but he always seem to stop only when the character count maximum.

Latest posts by Kevin Calderon (see all)

  • Scientists Detect A New Species Of Jurassic Ancestor Of The Crocodile - Oct 3, 2017
  • The Wombats Have Giant Ancestors That Used To Migrate Annually - Sep 28, 2017
  • Coffee And Bees Are Both Tied And Dependent On The Climate - Sep 13, 2017

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: Amazing Spider Weaves Electrically Charged Nano-Strands, amazing weaving technique of a spider, electrically charged webs, electrostatics for catching prey, liquid spider silk, micrometer-thick spider webs, nano-sized threads, Uloborus plumipes

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 72 other subscribers

Mom holding newborn's hands

SF Hospital Slaps New Parents with $19K Bill for Baby Treatment

Jun 29, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Harley-Davidson biker

Furious Trump Blasts Harley-Davidson for Moving Production Overseas

Jun 28, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

MRI machine

Warning! MRI Machines Could Poison You

Jun 27, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Flight Attendants More Likely to Get Certain Cancers

Jun 27, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Lone star tick sitting on a succulent leaf

More Red Meat Allergy Cases Related to Lone Star Tick Bites

Jun 26, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Time magazine cover

Time Admits Sobbing Cover Girl Was Not Separated from Parents

Jun 26, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Sunshine and green leaves

Vitamin D Deficiency Could Boost Risk of Lung Disease

Jun 25, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Green-light laser pointer

Greek Boy’s Retina Severely Damaged by Laser Pointer

Jun 22, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Red Tesla car

Tesla Suing ‘Whistleblower’ over Data Theft

Jun 21, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Boiled eggs and mayonnaise

Eating too Clean Can Lead to Orthorexia

Jun 20, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

NYC mayor Bill de Blasio

NYC Will Allow People to Smoke Pot in Public

Jun 20, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

A kitten and a puppy sleeping in a bed while hugging each other

Who Is Smarter Between Cats and Dogs? Researchers Have an Answer (Study)

Jun 19, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Orthodox church in Greece

Being Religious Is Tied to Longer Lifespan, Study

Jun 19, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Bacon and eggs for breakfast

How Does the Keto Diet Work?

Jun 18, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • A kitten and a puppy sleeping in a bed while hugging each other

    Who Is Smarter Between Cats and Dogs? Researchers Have an Answer (Study)

    Jun 19, 2018
  • Pluto and other transneptunian objects on a scale

    The Icy Transneptunian Objects Are Not Proof that Planet Nine Exists

    Jun 5, 2018
  • Sunny day

    Days Are Getting Longer as Moon Drifts Farther Away

    Jun 5, 2018
  • Coronal mass ejection

    NASA Scientist Building Solar Probe: ‘I See God’s Hand in the Wonders of Space’

    May 30, 2018
  • Steam Link device next to its box

    Apple Rejects Steam Link from the App Store Due to Unspecified Business Conflicts

    May 25, 2018
  • Two-headed deer

    Two-Headed Deer found in Minnesota Forest Baffles Scientists

    May 16, 2018
  • Woman watching the sea

    Hawaii Inching Closer to Banning Sunscreen

    May 9, 2018
  • Cows grazing

    In the Next 200 Years, Cows Will Be the Largest Mammals Left (Study)

    Apr 20, 2018
  • Nintendo Switch Ad

    Nintendo Switch Beats Wii U in Sales during Holiday Quarter

    Feb 1, 2018
  • Geminid Meteor Shower in Rural America

    December Meteor Shower Could Be the Most Spectacular This Year

    Dec 16, 2017

Categories

  • Business
  • Company News & Financials
  • Diversified Financial
  • Entertainment
  • Featured
  • Health & LifeStyle
  • Micro Cap
  • Mid Cap
  • National News
  • Nature
  • OTC Exchange
  • OTC Markets
  • OTC Research
  • Science
  • Small Cap
  • Sports
  • Tech & Science
  • U.S.
  • Uncategorized
  • Wall Street
  • World
  • World Indexes

Copyright © 2021 wallstreetotc.com

About · Privacy Policy · Sitemap · Terms of Service · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.