What If on MSN

Would ecosystems collapse if we killed all spiders?

Spiders are prolific. There are 45,000 species of spiders that we currently know of, and scientists estimate that there are ...
Hosted on MSN

We found a new wasp! Students in Australia are discovering insect species through citizen science

Playgrounds can host a variety of natural wonders, and of course, kids. Now some students are not just learning about insects and spiders at school—they are putting them on the map and even ...
NPR

This week in science: invasive spiders, cicada fungus, and how bodies change in space

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks with Regina Barber and Rachel Carlson of Short Wave about colorful and invasive Joro spiders, a cicada fungus, and lessons about how the human body responds to life in outer ...
NPR

This week in science: ocean spiders, baby planets and the odds of having a boy or a girl

The Short Wave team talks about spider origins, why the odds of having a girl or a boy aren't 50-50, and what the Orion constellation reveals about the life cycles of stars. Time now for our science ...
Queen's University

Winter spiders hide powerful antifreeze

That quiet observation helped launch new research from Queen’s University showing that winter-active spiders make an unusually powerful antifreeze protein that lets them survive subzero temperatures ...

Scientists Find a Spider Wearing a “Pearl Necklace” – and It’s Made of Living Parasites

A chance observation of an unusual spider led scientists to identify a new parasitic mite species in Brazil. While sorting through spiders and scorpions in the Zoological Collections Laboratory at the ...
Gizmodo

New Caterpillar Found in Hawaii Wears Dead Bugs and Lives With Spiders

Scientists have discovered a rare and ancient lineage of caterpillar in Hawaii that wears the “bones” of insects as a form of camouflage. Researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa detailed ...

Scientists Have Confirmed How Many Spiders Are In Our Homes And Uh, No

It is, in fact, impossible to rid an area of spiders for any length of time because new spiders soon recolonise a house if ...
IFLScience

There Have Been At Least 50 Incidents Of Spiders Capturing And Eating Bats (That We Know Of)

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...
NBC Washington

What to do if Joro spiders trigger your fear of insects

Huge, colorful Joro spiders are making their way up the East Coast and will likely reach the D.C. area, bug experts say. While Joro spiders are harmless to people and pets, their size and presence ...
The Conversation

We found a new wasp! Students are discovering insect species through citizen science

Andy G Howe receives funding from the Australian Government, Queensland Government and Forest & Wood Products Australia. Since 2019, he is active with CSIRO Stem Professionals in Schools. Erinn ...