Can spiders hear you talk?

The team has started testing the hearing of other species, such as fishing and wolf spiders, all of which seem to have a similar ability. “Spiders can hear humans talking and walking, which is within the audible range,” says Menda.

newscientist.com - Spiders can hear you walking and talking from across the room

What do zodiac signs depends on?

We derive these signs from the constellations that mark out the path that the sun appears to take through the year. You might think that dates in a...

Last updated Sep 22, 2022

What signifies a Millionaire?

A millionaire is somebody with a net worth of one million dollars. It's a simple math formula based on your net worth. When what you own (your...

Last updated Feb 19, 2021

Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Promotion

Here’s a comforting thought. When you arrive home and open the front door or enter your bedroom, the spiders can hear you. It has long been known that spiders can hear sounds via leg hairs that bend in response to vibrations arriving through the air or through solid objects such as floors or walls. But until now, we thought they could only hear airborne vibrations a few centimetres or “spider lengths” away at most. It now seems that this same approach actually lets them hear sounds up to 5 metres away. Gil Menda at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and his colleagues were studying a type of jumping spider, Phidippus audax, that they assumed relied almost completely on sight and vibrations they can feel through other objects, such as leaves or floorboards. But microelectrodes implanted in the spiders’ brains showed that neurons responded to sounds such as chairs scraping and people clapping even when the noises were made 3 to 5 metres away. “We were very surprised,” says Menda. “Our studies extended the range of auditory sensitivity to more than 3 metres – over 350 body lengths – for our spiders.” The team established that the spiders freeze when exposed to low-frequency sounds of about 80 to 400 hertz that resemble a low hum, or buzz. They discovered that this overlaps with the wingbeat frequency of predatory insects such as parasitoid wasps and flies, concluding that the hearing abilities they found in jumping spiders have evolved to help them avoid predators.

Wiggly hairs

Further experiments revealed that deformations in tiny hairs, or trichobothria, on the legs register the sounds. When Menda wiggled the hairs deliberately, the same neurons fired as when the spiders heard the sounds. The team also used isolation techniques – such as working in an echo-free chamber – to ensure that the spiders were not responding to vibrations felt secondary to the sound waves. “All spiders have these hairs, so it seems likely this is something that lots of spiders can do, as opposed to something exclusive to jumping spiders,” says Menda’s colleague, Paul Shamble, now at Harvard University. “This result really offers a new perspective on the auditory world of spiders, since we now know they can hear at much greater distances.” The team has started testing the hearing of other species, such as fishing and wolf spiders, all of which seem to have a similar ability. “Spiders can hear humans talking and walking, which is within the audible range,” says Menda. “When I see spiders at my house or anywhere else, I find myself trying different tones to see if they respond, and sometimes they do.” We knew spiders could detect sounds, but there was always a question of how they were doing it, says George Uetz at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, who has studied how spiders communicate in the past. Now we have another answer, he says. “Not only do some species ‘hear’ by perceiving airborne sound through substrate surfaces like leaves or webs, but some ‘hear’ through sensory hairs that detect air movement,” he says.

Journal reference: Current Biology, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.08.041

What causes a reel to go viral?

One of the best ways to make Reels go viral is to have music that others want to use. Having viewers click on the music in your Reels indicates to...

Last updated Oct 6, 2021

Can I pray for financial blessings?

Prayer to Give Finances Up to God Father, my finances belong to You. I thank You in advance for my financial prosperity. Lord, I know that...

Last updated Jan 22, 2018

Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Promotion

How do you keep spiders off you while you sleep?

How to Keep Spiders Away While Sleeping Clean your room up. Remove stuff from under your bed. Turn your bed into an island. Move plants out of the room. Keep the thermostat down at night. Keep some chestnuts nearby. Set traps around your bedframe's legs. Pour diatomaceous earth around your bed. More items...

wikihow.com - 10 Simple Ways to Keep Spiders Away While Sleeping - wikiHow

If you’re trying to keep creepy crawlies out of your bed at night, we’ve got good news for you—spiders want nothing to do with you at night either! People move around while they sleep, and even the movement of your chest as you breathe can scare a spider on its way. However, if you’re trying to maximize the odds that spiders leave you alone while you get your beauty sleep, we’ve got a bunch of scientifically proven tips and tricks. Just FYI, while spiders are scary looking and a bit creepy, it’s actually good to have them hanging around while you sleep, since they’ll eat all of the nasty bugs that will bother you while you snooze.

Which Nakshatra is very lucky?

Pushya Nakshatra It highlights amongst the most auspicious Nakshatras for birth because it is the most lovable lunar constellation amongst all. Jul...

Last updated May 25, 2018

Who is talkative zodiac signs?

An Astrologer Says These Are The 3 Most Talkative Zodiac Signs Aries Zodiac Signs (March 21 - April 19) Margaret Flatley/Bustle. Aries zodiac signs...

Last updated Jan 5, 2021

Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Promotion

What does the Bible say about tears in heaven?

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more adeath, neither bsorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any...

Last updated Jun 16, 2020

Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Promotion

How long did God make heaven?

six days In the first, Elohim (the Hebrew generic word for God) creates the heavens and the Earth in six days, then rests on, blesses, and...

Last updated Nov 2, 2018