A whole new meaning for thinking on your feet: Brains of small spiders overflow into legs
Monday, December 12, 2011 - 14:30
in Biology & Nature
Smithsonian researchers report that the brains of tiny spiders may fill their body cavities and overflow into their legs. As part of research to understand how miniaturization affects brain size and behavior, researchers measured the central nervous systems of nine species of spiders, from rainforest giants to spiders smaller than the head of a pin. As the spiders get smaller, their brains get proportionally bigger, filling up more and more of their body cavities.