He hasn't even achieved his ultimate form If it's weekend, it's time for nerding, so let's get caught up on our geekery. Or at least partly caught up. There is always more nerdy stuff out there! Of Arachnid Bondage </p> <p>[contextly_sidebar id="vK6FUYEiXD3NdwImyGxZ7yin8gi0wj3t"]A few weeks back, we brought you the thrilling story of a <a href="https: //wonkette.substack.com/p/scientists-aroused-by-99-million-year-old-spider-boner-your-saturday-nerdout" target="_blank">prehistoric spider peen, </a>doing whatever a spider-peen does. More arachnid coitus this week, as the New York Times brings us <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/14/science/spiders-that-arent-dying-to-reproduce.html?_r=1" target="_blank">this fascinating story</a> about an adaptive behavior among nursery web spiders, who have figured out how to keep from being devoured by their lady pals, a serious problem on the chitinous dating scene. unlike other spiders who surreptitiously copulate while the lady spider is eating (sometimes bringing her a gift to munch on while he does his business), your male nursery web spider is more into tying up the female and then doing the deed. Spiders are not big on safe words is what we're getting at. </p><p>Researchers had assumed the spider rope play was a survival strategy, "given the generally high level of danger in spider mating." On the other hand, they didn't know for sure whether female nursery web spiders were sexual cannibals or simply liked a bit of erotic power exchange (Despite the best efforts at microphotography, they couldn't see any female spiders wearing leather collars, for instance). If the leg-tying is a survival behavior, it's a really successful one: according to Alissa G. Anderson and Eileen A. Hebets, biology grad students at University of Nebraska, Lincoln, nobody's observed cannibalism among the species in the wild. </p><p>So to find out if lady nursery web spiders are cannibals, the two intrepid researchers blocked male spiders' spinnerets with dental silicone to see how they fared with lady spiders, an experimental design we're certain occasioned all sorts of revenge fantasies about visits to dive bars. Compared to males left unaltered, the defenseless males got eated. A whole lot: </p><p/><blockquote>For the males with blocked spinnerets, mating was usually terminal. Really terminal. The females don’t leave leftovers. “You may see a leg or two fall off,” as the females are eating, Ms. Anderson said, “but they usually eat the whole thing.”</blockquote> <p>Anderson and Hebets also considered the possibility that the binding behavior is beneficial for both males and females: Boy spiders live to spin another day, and as it happens, it works out well for the making of more little spiders: </p><p/><blockquote>The males who are able to wrap the females’ legs have more successful copulations, as measured by the number of insertions of the pedipalp, which delivers sperm to the female. And if the result is that the females who have been wrapped have more eggs, that could mean that both sexes benefit and the behavior is, at least in evolutionary terms, mutually beneficial.</blockquote> <p>There's undoubtedly a joke to be made about pickup artists, roofies, and rope, but it's a nice day and we don't want to go grimdark here. So instead, here is some music to mate spiders by: </p><p/><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e5a8d9edda38c53f52364de4a6863412"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yRYFKcMa_Ek?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;">
So to find out if lady nursery web spiders are cannibals, the two intrepid researchers blocked male spiders’ spinnerets with dental silicone to see how they fared with lady spiders
Does science just consist of thinking up and carrying out creative ways to torture animals?
The butterfly the ancient Grecians madeThe soul's fair emblem, and its only name –But of the soul, escaped the slavish tradeOf mortal life! – For in this earthly frameOurs is the reptile's lot, much toil, much blame,Manifold motions making little speed,And to deform and kill the things whereon we feed.
If that sanctuary were primarily a monkey sanctuary, but was taking on this ape, the usage may have been correct.Just saying.But, yes, keeping the species properly sorted and named is important.
Yeah, I'm a nerd too, but I've got standards. I saw the first Indiana movie, but I have never watched any of the sequels.
When their legs fall off, they`re usually ill.
So to find out if lady nursery web spiders are cannibals, the two intrepid researchers blocked male spiders’ spinnerets with dental silicone to see how they fared with lady spiders
Does science just consist of thinking up and carrying out creative ways to torture animals?
Psyche
The butterfly the ancient Grecians madeThe soul's fair emblem, and its only name –But of the soul, escaped the slavish tradeOf mortal life! – For in this earthly frameOurs is the reptile's lot, much toil, much blame,Manifold motions making little speed,And to deform and kill the things whereon we feed.
If that sanctuary were primarily a monkey sanctuary, but was taking on this ape, the usage may have been correct.Just saying.But, yes, keeping the species properly sorted and named is important.
Careful, guys! The Librarian's in the house, so don't use the M-word!
It was necessary on a meta-level...who else could have begotten Indiana Jones except James Bond via time-travel?
When it doesn't consist of thinking up and carrying out creative ways of making stuff explode...
Not entirely - but it's probably annoying to the critters at least 99.9% of the time.
Hey, it's the height of mine, and I'm not a Millennial.
I just gotta deal with this troublesome requirement called "holding down a job for thirty years" first.
"I suddenly remembered my Charlemagne. 'Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky'." Still love that moment.
The secret of The Crying Game is...
*Austin Powers voice* IT'S A WOMAN, BABY!
Me neither. They always embarrass me, running around with large egos and no dignity. Sorta like Donald Trump.
No tiny leather collars - and even more unfortunately for the males, no tiny ball gags.
Spider bondage. Love Silk? Fifty Shades of Prey?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N...