Golden Orb-web: A really useful spider
Before I explain its benefits, Nephila clavipes is a very big spider that occurs in middle Americas including the Caribbean. The females like this one are about three inches long and are about four times bigger than the males. They are called Golden Orb-web spiders because the "anchor lines" on the web are a bright yellow colour. Now for the useful bit. It has recently been discovered that the silk of Nephila clavipes can surgically improve the regeneration of damaged mammalian neurones (nerves). In vitro experiments have shown that a thread of silk can lead a neurone to the site from which it was severed. Further, the silk elicits no reaction from the immune system so is not rejected by the host's body. I photographed this individual on her massive web at Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.
Golden Orb-web: A really useful spider
Before I explain its benefits, Nephila clavipes is a very big spider that occurs in middle Americas including the Caribbean. The females like this one are about three inches long and are about four times bigger than the males. They are called Golden Orb-web spiders because the "anchor lines" on the web are a bright yellow colour. Now for the useful bit. It has recently been discovered that the silk of Nephila clavipes can surgically improve the regeneration of damaged mammalian neurones (nerves). In vitro experiments have shown that a thread of silk can lead a neurone to the site from which it was severed. Further, the silk elicits no reaction from the immune system so is not rejected by the host's body. I photographed this individual on her massive web at Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.