Whip spiders, or amblypygids, are arachnids, but only six of their eight legs are for walking. The front two are elongated sensory structures that process, among other things, smells. Whip spiders use these sensory legs to sniff their way back home after a night of hunting.. . . Read More

Animals have played a key role in determining the safety and survivability of spaceflight. At first, animals were used to test the effects of weightlessness and the feasibility of sending a living being into space and returning it unharmed. Later, as spaceflight programs evolved. . . Read More

Spider webs can be beautiful, intricate, and deadly – but what can they tell us about the spiders who build them? Orb weaving spiders’ flexible behavior during web construction seems to indicate some degree of insight or understanding.