Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Gravity

Scientists use all sorts of graphs, drawings, and images when they want to show the relationship between gravity and a black hole. This image, taken from Wikimedia's Commons , is a pretty typical one.

I wonder why scientists don't just use a photograph of a funnel-web spider.
 The funnel-web spinners found around here aren't the legendary spiders of Australia, where everything is venomous, including butterflies, cows, and small children. The Agelenidae family, my local funnel-web builders, are deadly only to insects that are unfortunate enough to step on the shimmering silken platform. The spider lurks inside the tube, waiting for vibrations from a wandering insect to sound the dinner bell. Then she rushes out, snags her blue-plate special, and dashes back inside, chortling all the way.

If you look for an answer to the question "What's inside a black hole," you get....well, you get a lot of results, but none of them seem to suggest that there's a giant Agelenidae in there. But really, how would you know?

3 comments:

  1. Spiders are the best engineers and architects of nature, aren't they? So cool.

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  2. For sure, Meredith. One of my students once mentioned something like that, adding "...and they do it all with their butts!"

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  3. Ha! You're cracking me up today, as I make my way through the posts I've missed.

    I love funnel-webs and their landlords. I've photographed quite a few myself...just love the ingenuity.

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