So you start out with a simple experiment, so simple in fact, that it sounds like Andrew and I came up with it when we were seven: How long do different species of spider survive underwater? You take 120 wolf spiders of three different species that live in marsh lands, and you submerge them underwater until they drown. Simple enough. Some live 24 hours, some 28 hours, and some 36. Ok, that's a long time, but it makes sense as these creatures live in marshes so they must have adapted to survive submerged for extended periods of time. It is then, however, that things take a turn for the horrifying.
As you're weighing out the dried out spider corpses, you notice that some of them start twitching. Then more and more begin twitching. Then all of a sudden, most of them are alive again. Not only are they alive, but they have grown to five times their normal size, have become exponentially more aggressive, and violently attack your entire research staff.
A scene from Left for Dead 3
While the last sentence of that previous paragraph was not, not false, the rest is completely true. Researchers at the University of Rennes in France had just this experience recently when conducting just such an experiment. It turns out the marsh dwelling wolf spiders are able to put themselves into comas, effectively changing their metabolic process to no longer require air, in order to survive long periods underwater.
"This is the first time we know of arthropods returning to life from comas after submersion," Julien Pétillon, one of the lead researchers told National Geographic.
I wish I could have put myself into a coma to survive Andrew's wedding last summer. Borrrrrring.
Comments
Flushing them down the toilet is not enough anymore,they will come back up!
Seriously tho, this is amazing.
Posted by: Marc | April 28, 2009 9:51 PM
The boring habits at spider weddings can be interesting.
"The entire cringeworthy sequence lasts about 15 minutes and throughout it, the male spider never penetrates the female's actual genital opening."
http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/04/traumatic_insemination_-_male_spider_pierces_females_undersi.php
Sleep well.
Posted by: Lassi Hippeläinen | April 29, 2009 6:50 AM
Andrew's married?
Your intern will be crushed.
Posted by: Jives | April 29, 2009 12:20 PM
I've been bringing submerged arthropods back to life for many years; a friend showed me the trick in grade school. Submerge a fly or ant for several hours, take it out, and cover it with sugar (I assume salt would work as well). After a while, the insect starts moving and within a few hours is fine. Just did it last week with a 'dead' carpenter ant I found in the dog's water bowl. (I have a stupid hypothesis that the carpenter ants in the house keep away the annoying, swarming red ants.)
Posted by: JR | April 29, 2009 1:45 PM
When I clean my hummingbird feeders I sometimes find ants inside. They sure look dead.
Posted by: ym | April 29, 2009 2:32 PM
Very cool. Scary but cool scary.
Posted by: Lilian Nattel | April 29, 2009 3:32 PM
That's all cool and scary but I demand to see slow loris in Zooillogix:
http://www.youtube.com/DmitrySergeyev
Posted by: milkshake | April 29, 2009 9:58 PM
Nice zombies ;)
Posted by: Szamba | April 30, 2009 3:44 PM
An occasion with both Blieman brothers in attendance borrrring! Impossible!!!
Posted by: John Gallagher | April 30, 2009 4:58 PM
I've been trying to cope with Andrew's marriage for a while. I'm dealing with it really well now.
But it should have been me.
Posted by: Katie the Intern | April 30, 2009 10:18 PM
As if wolf spiders weren't terrifying enough!
Posted by: Zach Miller | May 1, 2009 3:18 PM
Incy Wincy must've been one of the marsh spider species.
Posted by: eddie | May 1, 2009 4:57 PM
huh - obviously they've never heard of Sydney Funnelwebs, the world's deadliest spider. It's *well-known* that the male you find at the bottom of your swimming pool is going to come straight back once you fish him out.
Posted by: Drhoz | May 2, 2009 8:52 PM
"the last sentence of that previous paragraph was not, not false"
Um, you mean that the last sentence WAS false, or was NOT true. I hope.
John
Posted by: J.R. Shirley | May 3, 2009 5:05 PM
The following sentence is true. Everything I write is a lie.
Oh snap!
Posted by: Jives | May 4, 2009 11:53 AM
it's not, not true (as opposed to not not true).
Posted by: ym | May 5, 2009 11:34 AM
Nice one :)
Posted by: Klimatyzatory LG | May 7, 2009 6:22 PM
I've been bringing submerged arthropods back to life for many years; a friend showed me the trick in grade school. Submerge a fly or ant for several hours, take it out, and cover it with sugar (I assume salt would work as well). After a while, the insect starts moving and within a few hours is fine. Just did it last week with a 'dead' carpenter ant I found in the dog's water bowl. (I have a stupid hypothesis that the carpenter ants in the house keep away the annoying, swarming red ants.)
Posted by: andersland | May 12, 2009 12:14 PM
Further to my link in #12;
Bhangra version!
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Maniac :)
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