Tiny splendid peacock spiders have the fastest known jump among their kin – new study

By Ajay Narendra, Associate Professor of Insect Neuroethology, Macquarie University

Jumping spiders – one of the largest spider families – get their name from the extraordinary jumps they make to hunt prey, to navigate and also to evade predators.

Male jumping spiders also jump to escape from cannibalistic females and competing males. So they are under tremendous pressure to jump efficiently and rapidly.

We studied the jumping abilities of miniature male and female Australian peacock spiders. We found that the males – incredibly light creatures, weighing just 2 milligrams – have the highest acceleration among any known jumping spider.

Our study…

Read complete article

~	Here’s why some people still evade public transport fares – even when they’re 50 cents

~	Power to the people: a new book reveals the true story of how Australian democracy works

~	Yemen: Houthi Attack on Civilians May be a War Crime

~	This is Australia’s only icebreaker. Here’s why experts say we need another

~	Menopause hormone patches are in short supply. What are they? And how do they compare with other therapies?

~	Heads vs tails? A simple coin flip can be enough to change how we treat others

~	New play Housework is a future Australian classic – a Don’s Party for our time

~	Short-term politics keeps stalling long-term fixes. This bill offers a way forward

~	‘A house battery you can drive around’: how a handful of Australians are selling power from their cars back to the grid

~	Indigenous knowledge merges with science to protect people from fish poisoning in Vanuatu