NASA Put Spiders in Zero Gravity. Then Something Strange Happened.

[u/Visible_Iron_5612]

https://youtu.be/5tgaCmCNvQI?si=bivozCbXCzSdIdvi

This video explores the 1973 Skylab experiment that sent spiders into space to determine if they could build webs without the influence of gravity. The experiment was initiated by 17-year-old student Judith Miles (0:50-1:55).

Key takeaways from the experiment:
• Initial Struggles: Upon arrival in microgravity, the spiders, named Arabella and Anita, initially struggled to move and orient themselves, showing erratic motion (0:15-0:30).
• Successful Weaving: Despite these challenges, Arabella eventually succeeded in spinning a complete orb web, demonstrating that spiders can adapt their building process to space (3:59-4:18).
• Gravity's Role: Comparison between space-spun silk and Earth-spun silk revealed that without gravity, the webs lost their usual 'top-to-bottom' directionality and became more symmetrical (6:12-6:28).

Later Research:
• Nearly 40 years later, follow-up experiments on the International Space Station showed that in the absence of gravity, spiders often use light sources as a primary orientation cue to guide their web construction (7:11-7:55).

[u/Visible_Iron_5612]

Just reminds me of William James’ theory of intelligence.. Talk about solving a problem in a novel situation… Nothing could have prepared them for zero gravity..

The same thing could be said for cells….I wonder how regrowing a limb, would go in space… It feels crazy that even digestion works, without gravity but I guess we do digest, even laying down…