World Jul 14 German customs officers find 1,500 tarantulas hidden in spongecake boxes By Associated Press
Economy Jan 11 Feds charge eBay $3 million over employees who sent live spiders and cockroaches to couple Online retailer eBay has agreed to pay a $3 million fine to resolve criminal charges over employees who harassed a Massachusetts couple by sending live spiders, cockroaches and other disturbing items to their home. By Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press
Nation Sep 24 McDonald’s pledges to phase out plastic in Happy Meal toys, a new app treats spider phobias and other stories you missed A new app helps treat spider phobias using augmented reality, researchers teach cows to use the potty and McDonald’s says it’ll phase out fossil-fuel based plastic from Happy Meal toys. Check out these stories and others you might have missed… By Deema Zein, Julia Griffin
Science Mar 15 This new ‘army’ of spiders is named after Star Wars stormtroopers They wouldn’t survive the deserts of Tatooine or the frigid planet Hoth, but these newly described, tarantula-like spiders are named after the stormtroopers who marched through the “Star Wars” movies. By Vicky Stein
Science Jul 05 Spiders fly on the currents of Earth’s electric field Spiders don’t have wings, but they can fly across entire oceans on long strands of silk. For more than a century, scientists thought it was the wind that carried them, but a new study shows the Earth’s electric field can… By Amanda Grennell
Aug 27 Daddy longlegs risk life, and especially limb, to survive By Elliott Kennerson, KQED Science Not pulling your leg here: When attacked, daddy longlegs deliberately release their limbs to escape. Continue reading
Oct 02 Big scary spiders hiding in banana cargo ships are usually harmless, researcher finds By Travis Daub Is the giant, hairy spider on your bunch of bananas cause for alarm? Most likely not. Continue reading
Aug 20 City living makes spiders grow larger By Justin Scuiletti It turns out that spiders love city life, especially rich cities. According to a study published Wednesday by journal PLOS ONE, certain species of spiders thrive when urbanization occurs, as opposed to areas with larger vegetation. Continue reading
Jul 09 Walk this way: Scientists recreate 410 million-year-old spider crawl By Justin Scuiletti Fossil records have allowed scientists to unlock a 410 million-year-old secret: the way an ancient arachnid crawled around. Continue reading