FACT SMACK: Spider Edition
A beautiful spider spins a web in a forest outside Moscow. Disclosure: this particular spider was not the inspiration for any smack talk heard in this episode. Yuri Kadobnov/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A beautiful spider spins a web in a forest outside Moscow. Disclosure: this particular spider was not the inspiration for any smack talk heard in this episode.
Yuri Kadobnov/AFP via Getty ImagesWith the help of spider scientist Sebastian Echeverri, Maddie presents the case for why spiders are the best and coolest animal. Spoiler alert: some travel thousands of kilometers by "ballooning," while others live part time underwater.
Supplementary Spider Reading:
- Spider Uses Web As Slingshot To Ensnare Prey, Scientists Find
- When Spiders Go Airborne, It's Electric — Literally
- A Spider Across The Room Can 'Hear' You, Study Finds
P.S. Are you a scientist who thinks Sebastian is wrong and that the animal you study is superior? Let us know! You can email us at shortwave@npr.org. We'd love to hear the case for your critter.
This episode was produced by Rebecca Ramirez, edited by Viet Le and fact-checked by Rasha Aridi.