Why Spiders Don’t Stick To The Web

William Eberhard, of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Costa Rica, and colleague Daniel Briceno film spiders in the lab, in the field, and under a dissecting microscope to untangle this longstanding arachnological mystery. The secret to not getting stuck? Oily, hairy legs and delicate movements.

Credits

Images courtesy of Gustavo Hormiga/The George Washington University.
Video footage: Daniel Briceno and William Eberhard.
Additional: archive.org, prelinger archives

Meet the Producer

About Flora Lichtman

Flora Lichtman was the host of the podcast Every Little Thing. She’s a former Science Friday multimedia producer.