In a study, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Rupnagar, have explored how prey is caught and retained by a healthy spider web when compared with a damaged one. The study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, was featured under the theme 'Bioinspired materials and surfaces for green science and technology'. The researchers studied the webs of St Andrew's Cross spider (Argiope aetherea), which builds orb-webs and belongs to the Araneidae family.
In the heart of Central India lies the Panna Tiger Reserve, a sanctuary that has seen a remarkable revival of its tiger population thanks to reintroduction efforts. But how are these majestic creatures adapting to their new environment? A team of researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun is trying to find out.