Egyptian Giant Solpugids (Camel Spider) Camel spiders became an Internet sensation during the Iraq war of 2003, when rumors of their bloodthirsty nature began to circulate online. Many tales were accompanied with photos purporting to show spiders half the size of a human. For many years, Middle Eastern rumors have painted camel spiders as large, venomous predators, as fast as a running human, with a voracious appetite for large mammals. The myths are untrue. These creatures do not actually eat camels' stomachs or sleeping soldiers, and they are not so large—but the real camel spider is still an amazing predator. The camel spider's history of misinformation begins with a misidentification.
This Spider Makes Fake Spiders. But Why? TAMBOPATA, Peru – Scientists returned to the Amazon rainforest in December to collect data on one of their biggest finds of 2012: a spider that uses insect corpses and jungle trash to build big, spider-shaped decoys in its web. But these Peruvian spiders, presumed to be a new species of Cyclosa, are not the sole sculptors of false arachnids. A second decoy spider lives in the Philippines, on the island of Negros. Finding two spiders that make such similar designs, 11,000 miles apart, has left scientists wondering how the behavior evolved and if the decoys serve as lures for prey or as an anti-predator defense system.
Ancient antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in isolated cave - Technology & Science The samples were collected from a part of Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Cavern National Park in New Mexico that has been cut off from any input from the surface for four million to seven million years. (Max Wisshak/speleo-foto.de/McMaster University) Bacteria that have never before come in contact with humans, their diseases or their antibiotics, but are nevertheless resistant to a variety of antibiotics, have been discovered in a U.S. cave. "This supports a growing understanding that antibiotic resistance is natural, ancient," and an integral part of the genetic heritage of microbes, suggest researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. and the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, in a new study published this week in the journal PLoS ONE. Scientists have long debated the relative roles of humans and nature in the evolution and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can pose a serious problem in the treatment of diseases. 2 new kinds of antibiotic resistance
“Sombrero” mountain growth in the Andes rides on rising magma plumes Most of us are familiar with igneous rocks that form in volcanic settings, as lava crystallizes into rock while cooling quickly. It’s easy enough to envision this process since it occurs right before our eyes or at least some cameras (and besides, thousands of science fairs across the country probably display a baking-soda-and-vinegar analog each year). But what about the igneous rocks that form deep below the surface—like the beautiful granites that are so popular for kitchen countertops? It’s not so easy to imagine how these massive bodies of magma—called “intrusions”—rise through the Earth’s crust before stopping and slowly solidifying, sometimes feeding a volcano at the surface during the process. Geologists have argued about how this material rises for a long time. Several models have been proposed that would allow this magma to reach its destination; some researchers have proposed a process called “stoping,” where slabs of rock continually fall off the roof of the magma chamber.
Tinkerbella nana The family Mymaridae includes more than 1,400 species of diminutive insects called fairyflies. They are not flies at all, but tiny wasps that deposit their eggs inside the eggs of other insects. Most of these parasitoids are found in tropical latitudes and the southern hemisphere, where they attack unborn offspring of true bugs, beetles, flies, barkflies and dragonflies. The family includes the smallest of all known insects, Dicopomorpha echmepterygis, from Central America, whose males are a mere 139μm That is smaller than quite a few single-celled protists. Put another way, 175 males could be lined up end to end in the space of an inch. The common name fairyfly was no doubt inspired by the small size, delicate form and wispy wings with long posterior fringes.
Sea lice eating meat video after Vic teen attacked, Brighton Yahoo7 and Agencies WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: A Melbourne father has shared a horrific video of hundreds of what are believed to be "sea lice" devouring chunks of raw meat after his teenage son was left bleeding from an ocean swim. Sam Kanizay, 16, went for a 30 minute dip at Dendy Street Beach in Brighton on Saturday evening and walked out with what his family said were tiny marine creatures eating his legs. His father, Jarrod Kanizay, said the creatures "ate through Sam's skin" and left him bleeding profusely.
BBC Nature - Dinosaur gases 'warmed the Earth' 7 May 2012Last updated at 10:43 By Ella Davies Reporter, BBC Nature Apatosaurus, formerly known as Brontosaurus, produced a lot of wind Giant dinosaurs could have warmed the planet with their flatulence, say researchers. British scientists have calculated the methane output of sauropods, including the species known as Brontosaurus. By scaling up the digestive wind of horses, they estimate that the total population of dinosaurs, produced 520 million tonnes of gas annually.
Former Apple Employee Explains Origins of Upside Down Apple Logo Those new to the cult of Mac may not realize it, but there once was a time when that iconic logo that shines from the top of Apple notebooks used to be positioned, well, upside down. Anyone gazing at the back of an open PowerBook or iBook saw Apple’s logo balancing on its stem, almost as if in the middle of a pirouette. And now we know exactly why Apple opted for its original logo positioning: Joe Moreno, a former senior web app engineer and marketer at Apple, took to his blog Sunday to disclose the story behind Apple’s original design. Moreno said that Apple staff confused by the design decision used the company’s anonymous internal question system Can We Talk? to ask “Why is the Apple logo upside down on laptops when the lid is open?” Apparently, the Apple Design Group had discussed the issue of the Apple logo on the lid extensively.
Whip Scorpion We've seen the elegant Scorpion with their often rather dainty pincers, now let's see their relatives, the chunky Whip Scorpions with their own brutal, barbarous claws. Whip Scorpions, also known oddly as Vinegaroons, are indeed arachnids with thick, hefty bodies. Most of them are 3 cm (1.2 in) long or a bit under, but the biggest ones can reach 8.5 cm (3.3 in). They have their 8 legs but, just like our very own Camel Spider, they only use 6 of them to walk. The first pair are longer and thinner than the rest and used as antennae. Weird how they looked at those Camel Spiders and thought "good idea", yet the most famous arachnids - spiders and scorpions - haven't felt the need.They get their name from looking a bit like a scorpion.
Camel Spiders Are Fast, Furious and Horrifically Fascinating Imagine waking up to find a hairy-faced, fleet-footed monster on your doorstep—a creature that looks like a mashup of Shelob and Grendel, with jaws nearly one-third the size of its body. Jaws that have just sheared most of your nest-mates in half. This was the stuation for an unfortunate colony of ants that recently fell victim to a camel spider in Israel. A bees-eye view: How insects see flowers very differently to us By MICHAEL HANLON Last updated at 08:52 08 August 2007 To the human eye, a garden in bloom is a riot of colour. Flowers jostle for our attention, utilising just about every colour of the rainbow.