No, they’re not alive, but these researchers found a way to reanimate dead spiders to grip objects in their latest experiment.
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Researchers at Rice University in Houston figured out how to give new life to dead spiders. It turns out all you need is a needle, glue and a syringe. Daniel Preston, a professor, and Faye Yap, a graduate student, at the Texas university’s engineering school published a report in a science journal Monday about how their research team was able to repurpose dead spiders as miniature grippers, not unlike the ones inside arcade claw machines.
“We were moving some equipment around the lab and a graduate student, Faye, actually noticed a dead spider,” Preston told USA TODAY. “We saw that it was all curled up, its legs were curled inwards. We were curious as to why that was.” That’s when Preston and Yap learned about the distinct mechanics of spiders, which control their legs hydraulically.
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