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GENETIC ALGORITH MODELING. "Individual spiders are described firstly by their genotype (the syntax, represented by the genetic coding of the parameters in the chromosome) and secondly by their phenotype (the semantics, represented by the interpretation of the genetic information)." Nice analytics of spider web design. https://lnkd.in/dfsDEVZ View in LinkedIn

"THE SPIRAL LOOPS are built from the inside out and are therefore analogues of the auxiliary spiral in Araneus diadematus." https://lnkd.in/dfsDEVZ View in LinkedIn

STEPWISE CONSTRUCTION. "After exploration of the web site an orb web spider constructs (1) frame and initial radii, (2) all other radii and the hub, (3) the auxiliary spiral (from the inside out) and finally (4) the capture spiral (from the outside in)." https://lnkd.in/dfsDEVZ View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this meditation on spider web geometry. That such a tiny creature can have so sophisticated a grasp of geometric realities in an improvised and highly dynamic environment that constantly changes is remarkable. Add to that the well-known but beyond the Bell curve physical properties of spider silk, brewed at ambient temperatures in this small beast, after millennia of design experiments. Observe, connect in the mind, and be humbled by the merest of nature's designs. View in LinkedIn

"THE SENSORY MODALITIES used for orb web-construction are limited. It appears that vision is not used and tension only marginally. Some form of orientation memory stack is likely and navigation by path integration not unlikely." https://lnkd.in/dfsDEVZ View in LinkedIn

BIG AND STRONG. "The spider webs made by Caerostris darwini, found in Madagascar, can extend up to tens of meters, are made to catch much larger prey and withstand frequent rain and typhoon winds and they are usually repaired for several days before replacement." https://lnkd.in/d5Wdths View in LinkedIn

"EVERY SPIDER WEB has a simple flat twist tessellation." A deep mathematical treatment of tessellation. https://lnkd.in/dehCygf View in LinkedIn

"MISCONCEPTION: “Evolution is like a climb up a ladder of progress; organisms are always getting better.” https://lnkd.in/djzVhcc View in LinkedIn

BOX OF PARTS. "In his book The Descent of Man, first published in 1871, Darwin listed a large number of human “parts in a rudimentary condition”, being body structures that are either “absolutely useless” or “they are of such slight service” owing to the fact that the conditions under which they evolved no longer exist." https://lnkd.in/dxYb-Qh View in LinkedIn

"THE FOREST OF ARDEN simultaneously was a very special place, fancifully mixed with exotic and incredible features. Is the Forest of Arden identical with Nature?" (Arden, from Archadia, the Greek mythological earthly paradise, and from Eden, a contrast to corrupted courtly or city life). https://lnkd.in/dNa6zAM View in LinkedIn