Spiderweb Has Traces Of DNA Of Both Spider And Prey, Says A Research

19 Feb 2019

Well, once we see around the messy cobwebs of the spider-net in our dwelling, we run to clean it. Isn’t it? It represents the unhygienic maintenance of the home. But, Spiderwebs also have something else to decode for. The innovative research held at the University of the Notre Dame suggests that Spiderweb contains the DNA sample of what they eat and prey.

Scientists now claim that one can identify black widow spider by investigating the genetics of the web spun and check the synchronic relation of the insect with the pests and predators. Besides this, the noninvasive handling of the DNA Sample without the actual interference in the biological mechanisms of the specie registers, that the black spider zoo’s spider web can be researched only after 88 days insect has left its nest.

The research was confirmed as the black widow spider was kept on the weekly diet on the house cricket in the Potawatomi Zoo in Indiana. After a week, it was found that the Spiderwebs beard the sample DNA samples of the house cricket. Earlier, such investigations were impossible as Scientist could not read the mitochondrial DNA and there were lots of errors in using such technologies. Nevertheless, with the current research, scientists will be able to examine the accurate DNA samples of the species.

This sparkling research would certainly call for the future research on the insect’s DNA for around 45,000 species. The spider web can also help in mapping the locations of the engendered species.  The major finding during research convinced Scientist is that, black widow spider fingerprints can help in locating the poisonous spider, or the destination of the previous spiderweb spun.

Moreover, it will also open avenues of the research scope in the areas of biodiversity studies, pest management and the conversation research and broadening the analysis of the biodiversity on a larger spectrum.

View Other Reports