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Biochemistry C&EN Halloween Chemistry

The chemistry of spiderwebs – in C&EN

It’s October, which means mating season for a lot of the spiders that lurk in our gardens and around our houses. Like them or loathe them, these arachnids use some fascinating biochemistry to weave their webs – and the material properties of their webs have inspired a variety of attempts to emulate them! Click through […]

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Biochemistry Halloween Chemistry

The Chemistry of Spider Venom

Spiders are the most numerous venomous animals on the planet; the number of species predicted to be in existence, 150,000, is thought to be greater than the numbers of all other venomous creatures combined. Almost all spiders, with only a few exceptions, produce venom, which serves the primary purpose of immobilising their prey. However, the content […]