To contribute to technological progress, spiders are science’s best friends

The spiders They can pose a problem in everyday life for people with arachnophobia, who suffer from an irrational fear just by seeing arthropods of this class. However, for to know They have become a highly valued species, the study of their properties and behavior leading to great discoveries in biomedicine and robotics, contributing to the design of ecological materials and the manufacture of precision robots. Below is a list of recent scientific research involving these four-legged predators.

night fishing

What makes a spider a good hunter during the night hours? The National Science Foundation (NSF) teaches skills that inopid spider It was developed to catch insects at night. According to biologists, this species resorts to a type of world Wide Web Different from those we usually find in the attic, the roof room, the attic, or in the farthest and dirtiest part of our home, they are a narrow and oblong loom to which the legs are attached.

This type of web, along with its great ability to see and the specialization of all its senses, has provided religious people with movement in the dark. It is precisely this aspect that has caught the researchers’ attention, as the arachnid’s behavior could aid in the development of devices sensitive to nocturnal movement, and the creation of new materials for industrial use.

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environmental glue

The aranoid, a family of spiders, binds each thread together by six dry fibers and wet viscous silk. Scientists involved in the study of this species found that the “glue” with which this spider attaches its webs is much more effective than commercial adhesives, which usually end up peeling. This study seeks to understand the construction behind each silk web of araneoida, with the goal of designing environmentally friendly environmental adhesives.

Biomaterials, based on baby spider vesicles

Silk baby spider bags are unique among the silks of worms or other arthropods, because they are made of a highly resistant material. This has led experts to monitor mechanical properties, including resistance, to develop new biomaterials that have optical, mechanical, and thermal properties.

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Parachute spider, a model of small robots

study spider umbrella A group of researchers received the recognition “NSF Career”, thanks to the study of the ultrafast movements of the species, due to its speed, it stores enough energy to accelerate 100 times more than a cheetah. But this is not only due to their physical characteristics, they rely on their network to take in the necessary impulse, using it as a pulse to launch towards their prey.

Building on proposals from biomedical research, knowledge about the energy-storage properties of silk could help create power sources for small robots and other devices.

Milk