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Results of NASA experiments with Spiders and Drugs
missblackwidow.com ^ | Steve Connor

Posted on 02/20/2004 9:07:21 PM PST by 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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: drugs; health; nasa; wod; wodlist
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To: cyborg
LOL... I am in danger of getting red wine all over my keyboard if you keep this sort of posting up... *snigger*...

(That's one spider I might not be frightened of, actually!)


81 posted on 02/20/2004 11:23:30 PM PST by KangarooJacqui (The pen is mightier than the sword... does that make the keyboard mightier than the AK-47?)
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To: KangarooJacqui
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1082438/posts
Quaffing red wine is good
82 posted on 02/20/2004 11:28:14 PM PST by cyborg
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To: Destro
Where's Peter Parker?
83 posted on 02/20/2004 11:31:21 PM PST by Fledermaus (Be careful who you are posting to...It could be a Moby tweaking you with lies!)
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To: Arkinsaw
Yeah, it's more important to test that stuff on humans!
84 posted on 02/20/2004 11:34:05 PM PST by Fledermaus (Be careful who you are posting to...It could be a Moby tweaking you with lies!)
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To: Destro
Lots of agencies go through a period where they experiment with drugs. The important thing to do is to involved in other activities before it becomes a habit.
85 posted on 02/21/2004 12:05:16 AM PST by MattAMiller
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To: Destro
Now if spiders had brains like humans, this would be interesting...
86 posted on 02/21/2004 1:04:04 AM PST by Rudder
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To: Destro
You could get the same results by observing the postings of Freepers.

Some comments here make one wonder what drugs some people are consuming.
87 posted on 02/21/2004 2:41:10 AM PST by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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To: Destro
Spiders on drugs.

Houseflies would call that a Victimless Crime.
88 posted on 02/21/2004 3:34:25 AM PST by samtheman
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To: A.J.Armitage
Thanks A.J.

The "Dieting For Your Blood Type" says I'm supposed to drink coffee. New internal bug repelant.
89 posted on 02/21/2004 7:16:02 AM PST by Cold Heart (If you follow the government food pyramid you will look like it)
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To: KangarooJacqui
"I've seen this study, or something very much like it, before. When was it published? Ages ago, I believe."


Yep. Done by one of my classmates in high school back in 1972 for a Science Fair project.
90 posted on 02/21/2004 7:27:03 AM PST by EEDUDE (Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.)
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To: Monty22
"Ok, what does it prove?"

Proves we need another arm of the DEA dedicated to stopping drug trafficking among spiders.
91 posted on 02/21/2004 7:31:29 AM PST by EEDUDE (Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.)
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To: Destro; *Wod_list
Some of the "photos" are drawings - lines under tension don't wiggle, they are stright or possibly sag if very long.

Second, it looks like caffeine is one of the most damaging drugs to a spider's ability to spin webs, and LSD causes spiders to make a better web than no drugs at all. (Drug warriors please note.)
92 posted on 02/21/2004 8:31:10 AM PST by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
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To: Destro
fascinating stuff!
93 posted on 02/21/2004 8:58:53 PM PST by Chu Gary (USN Intel guy 1967 - 1970)
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To: coloradan
They are not drawings.
94 posted on 02/21/2004 9:19:43 PM PST by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorism by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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To: Destro
The ones for mescaline, LSD, and caffeine look like photographs - the black background has darker and paler spots, the lines are of different brightness, and there are some other defects (spots, bands, etc.) visible on them. The "no drugs" one is a tough call. The ones for marijuana, speed, and especially choral hydrate look like drawings because the black backgrounds are absolutely uniform and have no defects, the line widths are constant and of uniform brightness, and wiggle during their lengths. The central circle in the chloral hydrate web is oval, whereas in a real web it would be a polygon, changing angle each time a radial strand pulled it out, and there are few enough of them that the polygonal appearance would be obvious. The speed web, just above the central hole, has a strand that heads upwards in the 10 o'clock direction, and then hooks to the left and down, making an inverted J shape. Real threads don't and can't do this - what's holding up the arch?

I'm not saying the effects of drugs on web weaving isn't as represented - these could be drawings of actual webs, but they are drawings.

95 posted on 02/22/2004 7:51:16 AM PST by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
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To: stands2reason

What's wrong with it?

Nuthin'. I thought the pictures were amusing.

96 posted on 02/22/2004 6:03:19 PM PST by elli1
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To: Prime Choice

Here ya go dude.....

http://science.nasa.gov/faq/NASA%20Tech%20Brief.pdf


97 posted on 03/23/2005 2:17:52 PM PST by Lucky_underpants
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To: Destro

When was this? 25 years ago?


98 posted on 03/23/2005 2:19:16 PM PST by RightWhale (Please correct if cosmic balance requires.)
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To: RightWhale

Man is this post old - how did u find it?


99 posted on 03/23/2005 3:33:09 PM PST by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorism by visiting johnathangaltfilms.com and jihadwatch.org)
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To: Destro

It scrolled by just as I was looking. Somebody bumped it.


100 posted on 03/23/2005 4:47:07 PM PST by RightWhale (Please correct if cosmic balance requires.)
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