Spiders are Marvels of Engineering

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Like a number of other critters, spiders exist on every continent except Antarctica. This may be disconcerting news to many people who fear and loath the arachnids. Let me make it worse: All spiders have venom. Not that many are dangerous to humans, though.

People fear spiders from horror stories, being startled at home by them, and by ignorance, but it is useful to put aside the heebie-jeebies and consider creatures for what they are. The Master Engineer displayed his skill in designing them.

Golden orb-web spider (Nephila pilipes), Flickr / Lip Kee (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Indeed, scientists are studying spider silk for our own applications (biomimetics). The black widow's silk is under scrutiny, others are being studied for their strength and, surprisingly, nerve repair. Although evolution gets the glory as if it was a person, Darwin's disciples admit that they cannot backtrack a plan for their origin. That's because it's not a product of evolution, old son. Take a look-see at the wonder and variety of spiders.
Spider-man has some amazing abilities, but he’s just science fiction. Much more amazing are the real spiders, whose abilities put the webslinger to shame. Can you imagine weaving an intricate web with your hands behind your back? How about throwing out a thread of silk which catches the wind, transporting you thousands of miles? Spiders do these things and so much more.

What is a spider? Spiders are arthropods (animals with jointed appendages) with two main body regions, four pairs of walking legs, and silk glands in their abdomen. They also have fangs and most have eight eyes. They usually have six spinnerets, structures on their abdomen from which their silk is extruded.

To read the rest, climb on over to "Spiders — Creepy crawlies or masterful masterpieces."