Scientists discovered that the Australian “ballista spider” uses a silk cone trap to catapult prey into its web, a feat of spider engineering never before observed.

The ballista spider builds sophisticated spring-loaded snares to catapult its prey. Newly discovered, the ballista spider ...

Researchers say their hunting method - which allows them to prey on dangerous ants - is unprecedented.

Flung prey can reach speeds of up to 14.4 feet per second, or a little less than ten miles per hour. An insect will land in the spider's main web about a foot above the spring-loaded trap ...

Lead researcher Professor Ajay Narendra said the trap may even be chemically baited.

As the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated, pathogens that move in airborne particles can be a serious threat to human health. Viruses aren't the only offenders, either; pollen, fungal spores, and pollution ...

There’s more than one way a spider can spin its web. Some construct large vertical orb webs, while others build horizontal sheet webs or tangled cobwebs that ensnare crawling insects. There’s also ...

Spiders might be silent heroes in helping us understand and keep track of animals, with new Curtin research revealing their webs act like natural traps for tiny bits of environmental DNA (eDNA) from ...