Humans aren’t very good listeners. Not compared to some spiders, anyway. Orb-weaver spiders don’t have ears, but in 2022, researchers found the arachnids .
The spider silk acts as a super-sensitive listening device, capable of detecting noises from up to ten feet away, according to the research led by , a mechanical engineer at Binghamton University. At meetings of the last week, Miles said this knowledge of spiders presents a big opportunity for humans to revolutionize our own sound engineering. The human experience of hearing is dictated by air pressure in our ears.
In response to pressure changes, our eardrums vibrate at different frequencies that send electrical signals to our brains, which distinguish and register the sounds. Microphones were built to mimic human eardrums, similarly vibrating in response to pressure changes. But to make microphones more powerful and sensitive, they need to be larger—a reality that’s incompatible with the general desire for smaller and more transportable technology.
“Humans, being arrogant animals, fashioned the microphone after their own ears—but that’s not necessarily the best way to do it,” Miles tells ’s Elizabeth Anne Brown. “If you want to make something small, you should think about how small animals do it.” Spiderwebs are less affected by changes in air pressure.
Instead, they vibrate in the airflow created by a sound wave, allowing the arachnids to “hear” by feeling that motion—and even pinpoint the di.
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