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Aerodynamic capabilities of spiders have puzzled scientists for hundreds of years
Charles Darwin himself pondered how hundreds of these creatures managed to descend on the Beagle on a calm day at sea and then take off from the ship. Scientists have attributed the flying behavior of these wingless arthropods to the hot air balloon, where spiders can be transported for thousands of miles, releasing silk streaks that propel them up and down the wind
. , the fact that the balloon was observed when there is no wind properly speaking, when the sky is overcast and even in rainy conditions, asks the question: how do spiders take off with a weak trail aerodynamic?
from Bristol believe that they found the answer.
"Many spiders inflate using multiple strands of silk that fan out, suggesting that there must be a repulsive electrostatic force." Erica Morley, principal investigators and an expert in sensory biophysics, said. "The current theories fail to predict the hot air balloon trends using the only wind as a driver, why some days there are large numbers that take on air, while on other days, no spider will not attempt to inflate at all – there were other external forces as well as the aerodynamic drag that could trigger the swelling and what sensory system they could use to detect this stimulus. "[19659002ThesolutiontothemysterycouldbeintheAtmosphericPotentialGradient(APG)acircuitthatisalwayspresentintheatmosphereAPGsandelectricfields(electricfields)surroundingallmattercanbedetectedbyinsectsForexamplebumblebeescandetectelectromagneticfieldsbetweenthemselvesandflowersandbeescanusetheirchargetocommunicatewiththehive
Spider silk has long been known as an effective electrical insulator, but until now it was not. Spiders were known to detect and react to electronic fields in the same way as bees.
In the study, researchers exposed Linyphiid spiders to laboratory-controlled electronic fields that were quantitatively equivalent to those found in the atmosphere. They noticed that turning on and off the electromagnetic field caused the spider to rise up (down), proving that spiders may be safe. fly in the absence of wind when they are subjected to electric fields. In the journal Current Biology.
"Previously, wind or thermal drag forces were thought to be responsible for this mode of dispersion, but we show that electric fields can trigger hot air balloons and provide a lift at the same time. absence of any movement of air, "said Morley." This means that electric fields as well as drag could provide the forces needed to disperse spider balloons in the wild. "
Results have applications beyond the world of arthropods Aerial dispersal is also a critical biological process for many caterpillars and spider mites, and a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying dispersal is important for global ecology as it can lead to better descriptions of population dynamics, species distributions and ecological resilience.
e however, a lot of work to do. will involve looking to see if other animals are also detecting and using electric balloon fields. We also hope to conduct further research on the physical properties of ballooning silk and to conduct balloon studies on the field, "said Morley (1965, p. (F.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function () {n.callMethod?
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