Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald

found this when looking through old excursion photos - can you spot the spider?

Spiders possess multiple types of silk glands, which produce silk materials with contrasting properties.
What happens if they combine different silks into a single line - Does this reinforce, even toughen, the silk thread?

We got some answers from cellar and cave spiders:
doi.org/10.1039/D5SM... 🔓

🕸️ Massive web stretch from our cribellating friend (Asianopis subrufa) recorded in the field. If you’re intrigued by this fabulous #spider #silk read on doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2529200123 by @evoimec.bsky.social et al :) 🕸️

🕸️ The #silk of this gorgeous little cribellator is not your standard silk - read @evoimec.bsky.social new study here: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... 🕸️

Unravelling Spider Silk: What High-Tech Fibres Can Learn from Nature What makes spider silk so extraordinarily strong and elastic at the same time? This was the focus of recent investigations carried out by researchers from the University of Greifswald, the University ...

Media Release by @unigreifswald.bsky.social
www.uni-greifswald.de/en/universit...

This study was led by @wolffspider.bsky.social and Martín Ramírez, with contributions by @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social Anna-Christin Joel, Vincent Jackel, Sebastian Büsse and @pmichalik.bsky.social

Field emission scanning elactron microcopy image showing the microscopic structure of a lower web radius of the Australian netcaster (Asianopis subrufa). The thread contains two separate strands, each of which is made of a soft silk core with fine loops of nanofibres attached to it. Upon extension, the thread initially behaves like a soft elastomer, but as soon as the fibre loops straighten they add to the load resistance of the thread, causing a mixed mechanical profile that combines elasticity with strength.

The special thread meta-structure of the hyperextensible web radii is a looped-fibre reinforced elastomer - seen in all its beauty in this image - which just won the Royal Society Photo Competition! royalsociety.org/journals/pub...

#spidersilk #spiderweb #fibre #biopolymer

Figure showing a video still from a high speed video of a netcasting spider capturing a cricket with its elastic web held in the front legs. Left to the video still there are load-strain diagrams of different lines in the web showing that the upper lines are stiff and strong and the lower lines are highly extensible. Left to the diagrams there are scanning elactron microcopy images of the dfifferent lines, showing that the upper, stiffer lines are cables made of many parallal fibres, whereas the lower lines have a soft central core with adjoined looped fibres. The degree of looping correlates with how much the spiders post-process the silk after spinning. This way they can tailor the stiffness of each line in the web separately and create a vertical stiffness gradient throughout the whole web architecture from stiff and strong in the upper load bearing frame to soft and hyper-elastic in the lower part that is rapidly extended and thrown against the prey at high speed during the predatory strike.

Netcasting spiders modulate silk thread stiffness via a tailorable multi-fibre meta-structure to construct a web that is hyperelastic and high load-bearing at the same time.
Read about our discovery in PNAS: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
🔓 & with video content!

Photo of Maitry Jani in the lab, smiling, showing a large live spider sitting on her hand.

@maitryjani.bsky.social from my lab @evoimec.bsky.social talks about her scientific journey and newest paper in @jexpbiol.bsky.social ERC Spotlight:
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Just back from a productive writing retreat of @evoimec.bsky.social and @multipleye-lab.bsky.social on the remote island of Hiddensee.
Look out for new papers coming up from our labs!

'Mesmerizing spider threads' by Dr Martin J. Ramirez, captures two exceptional silk threads of the Australian net-caster spider, Asianopis subrufa.

We're excited to announce the finalists of the #RSPPhotoComp 2025! 🎉 Starting with #microimaging and overall winner, 'Mesmerizing spider threads' by Dr Martin Ramirez, capturing two exceptional silk threads of the Australian net-caster spider (sample obtained by Dr Jonas Wolff @evoimec.bsky.social).

Very nice visualisation of sexual dimorphism in arthropod jump performance 😎

Are you interested in learning about how engineering and physics can be applied to study the motions of #plants, #invertebrates, and #animals? Here's a non-exhaustive list of Comparative Biomechanists to get started! 🦋 🐟 🦎 🌿 🧪
go.bsky.app/HvHFgvB

Apologies for any that I may have been missed.

Check out the beautiful light arts in our little city.
Featuring an animation of bird flight that you get going by running inside the installation. #Kinematics / #biomechanics meets arts.

Eight legs to bring a little joy to your timeline (skyline?). Zoropsis spinimana, aka the “Nosferatu spider.” Isn’t she so cute? 🥹

Thank you to @wolffspider.bsky.social and your lab @evoimec.bsky.social for a warm welcome in Greifswald! Please follow them and their amazing work!

Members of the EvoMec lab standing on a wooden bench on the hilltop of Dornbusch, Hiddensee Island, with lighthouse in the background.

We are looking forward to an exciting new year of science.
Which fascinating new discoveries will it bring?