USA   –  Professor Fritz Vollrath keeps his spiders in luxurious accommodation on the roof of Oxford University.

Dozens of plump Golden Orb Weavers cover the ceiling of a converted greenhouse, basking in the tropical humidity and lush foliage, as their intricate webs pluck delicacies from an ever-present swarm of flies. “I don’t understand arachnophobia,” says Vollrath, as he inspects his brood. After 40 years working with spiders, the German-born zoologist has developed a deep appreciation of their near-miraculous powers.  Spiders create webs by spinning liquid protein into silk that is pound-for-pound stronger than steel, yet extremely flexible. The highly efficient process requires little energy, and many spiders recycle by eating and spinning a fresh web each day…[+]