Tag Archives: spiders

These Spiderwebs Were Created By Drugged Spiders

Annika HarrisOctober 7, 2010 //

Somewhere in a lab far, far away, scientists fed spiders flies injected with LSD, mescaline, hashish, and caffeine. These are their webs. [ICNT4GIVE] Keep reading »

Hey, Girls! Who Wants To Volunteer For A Spider Study?

Jessica WakemanJuly 5, 2010 //

Scientists in Austria are looking to torture study little girls who are afraid of spiders by examining their brainwaves as they’re shown photographs of the arachnids. The University of Granz is looking for girls ages 8 through 13 for the study and hope their results will find a cure for phobias. It seems to me that having a fear of spiders is totally legit, though, because some of the poisonous ones can kill you! Instead, these scientists should study this nutcase I know who is afraid of kittens. [NPR]
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Stockings So Great You’ll Want More Legs

Lily QMay 26, 2010 //

Turkish hosiery brand VOG just launched an e-commerce site and apparently decided to celebrate by turning women into spiders. We don’t hate those pink tights, but we’re also not ready to sign on for extra appendages in order to wear more of them, either. [Copyranter] Keep reading »

Look Hot On Halloween Without Wearing A Sexy-Anything Costume

Catherine StrawnOctober 27, 2009 //

Not everyone enjoys dressing in costume for Halloween, but that doesn’t you need to be a total Debbie Downer and wear your normal clothes on Saturday, either. Jewelry of the spider, bat, or vampire varieties is the easiest way to acknowledge it’s Oct. 31 without donning a full-on costume.

If you’d like to take things up a notch without putting on a “sexy fill-in-the-blank” outfit, go for these spider knee highs. They’d look great — elegant even — with a simple black dress. And unless your skirt is lady-of-the-night short, only your suitor, perhaps dressed as Prince Charming, will be privy to the spiders’ webs at the top of the socks. [Pyramid Collection via Trend de la Crème] Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: The Reason You’re Afraid Of Spiders Is…

Jessica WakemanAugust 27, 2009 //
  • Scared of spiders? Me, too. A study by David Rakison, a developmental psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University, suggests us females might actually be genetically predisposed to fear creepy-crawlies and dangerous animals. He showed 10 baby girls and boys pictures of spiders and found that the girls associated fear with spiders more quickly than boys did. Rakison said this suggests a possible genetic disposition by women (thanks to humans’ hunter-gatherer ancestry) to avoid danger. [New Scientist]—Or could it could be because we’re prissy.

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    Boo-tiful Halloween-Inspired Jewelry

    Catherine StrawnOctober 20, 2008 //

    Sure, dressing up for Halloween is fun and all, but buying a costume that you’ll wear for one night seems like a waste of money. We suggest you put together an ensemble from your own closet, then splurge on a little piece of jewelry that invokes that spirit of the season but can be worn all year. Diamonds make spiders seem a whole lot more appealing, don’t they?

    1. nancyrosetta Sterling Silver Ghost Post Earrings, $21; Sterling Silver Ghost Pendant, $22 [Photo: Etsy]
    2. Iwona Ludyga Itsy Bitsy Spider Earrings, $430 [Photo: CatBirdNYC.com]
    3. BeadsInTheBelfry Along Came An Arachnid Sterling Silver Earrings, $45 [Photo: Etsy]
    4. ANORIGINALJEWELRY Silver Spooky Arch Back Cat Necklace, $38 [Photo: Etsy]
    5. Below14th The Scream Necklace, $36 [Photo: Etsy] Keep reading »

    The Daily Squeeze: Special Police Bras, Circumcision And AIDS, And Smart Spiders

    Catherine StrawnAugust 6, 2008 //
  • Thousands of German policewomen have received “bulletproof bras.” Basically, they’re just bras that say “Polizei” (police) and don’t have metal parts, which could impale the wearer if hit by a bullet. [Reuters]

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    Just Lay Down And Die

    SimchaMarch 25, 2008 //

    Ever had sex with a guy who just lies there? Well, it’s booooorrrrrrring! Who wants a lazy lover? Well, actually, female spiders do. According to researchers at the University of Aaarhus in Denmark, arachnid females are sorta natural necrophiliacs. Technically, if their male suitor just plays dead, they are twice as likely to get laid as the males who use food as bait. The study, published in the journal New Scientist, showed that among pisaura mirabilis, a spider species native to Europe, lying motionless even made the sex better! Those male spiders not only increased their chances at copulating, they were then able to get it on for longer! Perhaps this is justification enough for why spiders will survive the apocalypse. [Nerve]
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    The Daily Squeeze: Playing Dead, Pain Control, Puppies, And Pills

    Catherine StrawnFebruary 27, 2008 //
  • Male spiders who play dead double their chances of getting lucky, according to a study in Behavioral Ecology. The spiders studied all tried attracting partners by offering food held in their mouths, but the ones who laid flat and motionless were in a better position for sex, literally. This is the first time researchers have observed creatures “playing dead” as a way to get sexual favors. [AFP]
  • Got cramps? Acupuncture might help reduce the pain without the side effects associated with pills, according to a new German study. Hopefully reworking your qi will make you less cranky, as well. [Reuters]
  • An ad for a sports broadcaster that refers to a woman’s breasts as “puppies” has been cleared by an advertising watchdog. The ad depicts a man telling Santa Claus what he wants for Christmas, as one of “Santa’s helpers” looks on. The man looks at the woman’s breasts and says, “Couple of puppies,” then an announcer says, “…Give him what he wants this Christmas.” [Digital Spy]
  • A man who took too much Viagra (that he bought on the Internet, mind you) claims he has only been able to see the world in shades of blue, a known possible side effect, for the past two weeks. “I admit I ignored the advice on the packet. I was having too much fun,” he said. “But I’d give up all the sex in the world to be able to see a red letterbox again.” [Telegraph, U.K.]

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