Webs of intrigue?
I was reading recently about spiders webs and in particular the silk that they’re made from.
Most of us know of its strength, stronger than the equivalent steel thread (so they say) but what I certainly didn’t know was how it actually soaked up heat. I assume this speeds up the death of trapped insects…taking away their body heat.
It isn’t the whole web that has these properties though, just the central loop of thread, the bit right in the middle of the spiders web.
In cold weather if you blow warm breath onto this loop it actually glows with the heat. This has been called ‘Loop flair’ by scientists, and is worth a try on a cool morning (perfect in New Mills most of the year!).
I’ve just been checking the weather and it would probably work tomorrow as morning temperatures are expected to be low.
Please let us know of your successes
(FS)