Society for Science & the Public, which publishes Science News, uses cookies to personalize your experience and improve our services. For more information on how we use cookies on our websites, visit our Cookie Policy.
Science Ticker Animals

How a spider spins electrified nanosilk

cribellate orb spider

The cribellate orb spider (Uloborus plumipes) spins, combs and pulls nanofibers in such a way that charges the silk with static electricity.

Hartmut Kronenberger & Katrin Kronenberger/Oxford Univ.

By Helen Thompson

This article is only available to Science News subscribers.

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives.

Not a subscriber?

Science News is a nonprofit.

Support us by subscribing now.

More Stories from Science News on Animals

  1. a cat
    Animals

    A cat appears to have caught the coronavirus, but it’s complicated

    By Helen Thompson
  2. Anisakis parasites on a salmon fillet
    Animals

    Parasitic worm populations are skyrocketing in some fish species used in sushi

    By Amber Dance
  3. Health & Medicine

    There’s no evidence the coronavirus jumped from pangolins to people

    By Erin Garcia de Jesus
  4. longfin inshore squid
    Genetics

    Squid edit their genetic material in a uniquely weird place

    By Erin Garcia de Jesus
  5. parazen fish
    Life

    This is the first deep-sea fish known to be a mouthbreeder

    By Jake Buehler
  6. Animals

    Sea turtles may confuse the smell of ocean plastic with food

    By Jonathan Lambert
  7. Animals

    Bright yellow spots help some orb weaver spiders lure their next meal

    By Yao-Hua Law
  8. Animals

    Glowing frogs and salamanders may be surprisingly common

    By Erin Garcia de Jesus

From the Nature Index

Paid Content