Results of NASA experiments with Spiders and Drugs

missblackwidow.com ^ | Steve Connor

[Destro]

Results of experiments with Spiders and Drugs

Scientists at the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have turned their attention from the mysteries of the cosmos to a more esoteric area of research: what happens when you get a spider stoned.

Their experiments have shown that common house spiders spin their webs in different ways according to the psychotropic drug they have been given. Spiders on marijuana made a reasonable stab at spinning webs but appeared to lose concentration about half-way through. Those on Benzedrine - "speed" - spin their webs "with great gusto, but apparently without much planning leaving large holes", according to New Scientist magazine.

Caffeine, one of the most common drugs consumed by Britons in soft drinks, tea and coffee, makes spiders incapable of spinning anything better than a few threads strung together at random. On chloral hydrat, an ingredient of sleeping pills, spiders "drop off before they even get started".

Nasa scientists believe the research demonstrates that web-spinning spiders can be used to test drugs because the more toxic the chemical, the more deformed was the web.

The scientists believe their previous work on the goemetry of crystals will help them to devise computer programs that can analyse web-building objectively in order to predict the toxicity of new medicines. "It appears that one of the most telling measures of toxicity is a decrease, in comparison with a normal web, of the numbers of completed sides [of a web]; the greater the toxicity, the more sides the spider fails to complete", the scientists say.

Paul Hillard, spider specialist at the Natural History Museum in London, said researchers first discovered the effects of psychotropic drugs on spiders during experiments at the end of 1960s. The researchers fed caffeine to spiders in hope of making them spin webs in the late evening rather than the early dawn. The result was eccentric webs rather than earlier spinning, he said.

Article and research by Steve Connor

Results of NASA experiments with Spiders and Drugs

The normal web of a spider.

Web created while exposed to Mescaline/Peyote.

Web created exposed to LSD.

Web created while exposed to Marijuana.

Web created exposed to Caffeine.

Web created exposed to Benzedrine/Speed.

Web created exposed to Chloral Hydrat. An ingredient found in sleeping pills.

[cyborg]

I googled it to death and here's what I found

MFS-28921 and comes from the April 1995 Tech Briefs...

I'm too tired to search the reams of webpages at the Marshall Flight Center

[HiTech RedNeck]

Nothing is stated here about the dosage. A big enough slug of table salt would do to kill a spider.

[primeval patriot]

Maybe NASA did spray Lysergic Acid Diethylamide onto
spiders. I saw these images long ago but don't recall the NASA affilliation.

[Monty22]

Frankly, big deal. I just asked if it was a real study or not.

They're all screwed up when on something. Does that mean anything? A spider's reactions to x drug? Does that result in any meaningful data?

Does caffeine affect a human the same as a cocaine? Or whatever?

This is a useless, weird enterprise.

I'd like to know what your agenda is.

[Ken H]

Did the internet exist in the late 60s?

I'm not sure, but spiders have had websites for a long time.

< /rimshot>

[Arkinsaw]

My requests to lurking scientists:
1) Do not experiment with growth hormones and spiders
2) Do not experiment with phosphorescent spiders
3) Do not attempt to grow additional legs on spiders
4) Do not attempt to grow human ears on spiders
5) Do not do agression experiments with spiders
6) Do not give spiders hallucinogenic drugs to see what they will do

[bluefish]

Saw a page that said he got a reply from NASA upon inquiring. They didn't conduct the experiments, but rather derived the information from a private experiement, or something like that, according to that page.

[Redcloak]

A web spun by a spider on bug spray.

[bluefish]

So it was a fun read. "Big deal" is right. Apparently it is, to more than the original poster, givent the generally hostile response. Laugh it off.

"Agenda?" I'm sure that Destro is plotting world domination, with this posting somehow representing the initial step in an intricate, highly developed, "well-spun" plan.

[ryanjb2]

"In fact, the Internet existed in the EARLY 1960s."

Impossible! In the early 1960's, the Internet's inventor - Al Gore - was only in his early teens!

[Destro]

May agenda? OK, You got me. I am a Mormon. STOP DRINKING COFFEE!! Your soul is at stake! Now remove your tin foil hat.

[Destro]

Do not irradiate spiders and have them bite shy but good at heart nerds named Peter Parker?

[Destro]

"Agenda?" I'm sure that Destro is plotting world domination, with this posting somehow representing the initial step in an intricate, highly developed, "well-spun" plan.

You bastard! You work for G.I. Joe don't you and bluefish is your codename? I have ways of making you talk - have some of my spider tested tea.

[Ken H]

ROFL! It took me a minute to get it.

I kept waiting for the graphic to do something!

[Destro]

damn funny

[Monty22]

wtf are you talking about? 'may agenda'?

Seriously, what's your deal?

[A.J.Armitage]

The natural function of caffeine is insecticide. Coffee, tea, guarana, and so on produce it to ward off parasites like aphids. That it makes humans wired is just gravy.

[Destro]

This is what happens when I drink cups of coffee all day and come home all wired up. This post represented my brain on caffeine......

[Destro]

wtf are you talking about? 'may agenda'? - it is called a typo. May should have been my.

and "may" I ask wtf is your agenda in thinking I have an agenda with this post?

[Monty22]

You had to have some reason.. My question is, why?

Is it a totally random thing, or are you trying to prove something? Simple question