linkedin post 2017-01-22 07:51:03

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WEBS AND ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE. "We have experimentally demonstrated that electrostatically charged insects and water drops can induce rapid and comparably sized deformations in threads of the cross-spider's orb web. Such deformations likely increase the risk of capture for free-flying prey." https://lnkd.in/ddsqgS8 View in LinkedIn
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linkedin post 2017-01-22 07:46:21

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INSECT ELECTROSTATIC CHARGES. "Insects can easily acquire electrostatic charge by walking over charged surfaces or by flying in an airstream of charged particles. Honeybee workers during wintertime conditions can acquire a positive charge of up to 537 pC, whereas honeybees those in non-winter weather can reach up to 200 pC. Positively charged bumblebees can even detect floral electric fields, which ability enhances their foraging success." https://lnkd.in/ddsqgS8 View in LinkedIn
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linkedin post 2017-01-21 05:23:37

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WEB VIBRATIONAL INFORMATION. "Two years ago, a research team led by the University of Oxford revealed that, when plucked like a guitar string, spider silk transmits vibrations across a wide range of frequencies, carrying information about prey, mates and even the structural integrity of a web." Actually, the literature on this subject goes back to 1916. https://lnkd.in/dPt_MVY View in LinkedIn
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linkedin post 2017-01-21 05:16:52

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WEB EVOLUTION. "The orb is certainly not the final apex of web design. Our analyses also demonstrate subsequent rampant transformation of the orb into other architectures, suggesting that the origin of stereotypical orb webs provides a critical gateway for the evolution of novel web types and the diversification associated with them." http://www.pnas.org/content/106/13/5229.full View in LinkedIn
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linkedin post 2017-01-22 08:17:07

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LET THEORY GUIDE OBSERVATIONS. “How odd it is that anyone should not see that all observation must be for or against some view if it is to be of any service!” Let theory guide your observations.” Indeed, Darwin had no use for the empiricist claim that a scientist should not have a preconception or hypothesis that would guide his work. Otherwise, as he wrote, one “might as well go into a gravel pit and count the pebbles and describe the colors." https://lnkd.in/d4g4UsJ View in LinkedIn
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linkedin post 2017-01-22 08:14:21

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WEB ECONOMICS. "The web geometry of different spider species is always similar in spite of the myriad of possible solutions, this means that the evolution has led to a single optimal solution: an overall planar structure able to provide food at the minimum cost for the spider." https://lnkd.in/dzdDcHk View in LinkedIn
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