Strange but true - Science weaves some pretty weird webs

STRANGE BUT TRUE Science weaves some pretty weird webs
By Bill and Rich Sones
Posted: 05/06/2009 08:05:13 PM PDT

Question: What do you do when you're studying spiders but they insist on web-spinning at the "ungodly hours" of 2-5 a.m.? Not what you had in mind as a researcher.

Answer: If you're German zoologist H. M. Peters in 1948, you turn to pharmacologist Peter Witt, who prescribed amphetamine, says Rainer Foelix in "Biology of Spiders."

Unfortunately, the drug did not have the desired effect.

"The spiders built at their usual hours. Yet surprisingly the web structure was definitely altered: the radial threads as well as the catching spiral were placed irregularly."

Then Witt tried mescaline, strychnine, caffeine, and others. Low-dosed caffeinated spiders produced a smaller but wider web with a normal spiral but radii at oversized angles.

At higher doses, like with the other drugs, web regularity got distorted.

Only with low doses of the hallucinogen LSD-25 did the spiders spin webs of GREATER regularity.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_12312379

man oh man

I've seen them and they're cooool. Especially the LSD one IIRC.

Not a rick-roll, I promise.

Spiders on drugs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYEYbmgp0bY

that was hillarious.

...gotta love that Canadian humor!

Cheers
P
http://www.break.com/index/effect_of_drugs_and_alcohol_on_spider_webs.html

The way the story is written, it sounded like the researcher could not stay up until 2-5am to watch what happens, so his doctor gave him speed.

Then they tried all those other drugs.

I bet that's what really happened, and only *then* (when he was on mescaline) did he decide to give some to the spider!