killifish, mummichog, cross spiders. Spiderlings can use electric fields to fly

Skylab 3 carried the first fish into space in 1973, it was a mummichog. Also on that flight were the first spiders in space, two cross spiders named Arabella and Anita.

 蜘蛛竟能「飛天」？科學家解開百年謎團！

你能想像嗎？小小的蜘蛛寶寶竟然可以靠 地球天然電場飛上天空，完全不用風吹！這個現象被稱為 「放飛（ballooning）」，甚至可以讓蜘蛛飛行數公里、跨越海洋。

原理揭秘：
 地表帶負電，大氣帶正電，形成穩定電場
 蜘蛛絲帶負電，與地面電荷相斥，將蜘蛛推升
 蜘蛛腿上的感應毛（trichobothria）能偵測電場變化，選擇最佳起飛時機

達爾文早在 19 世紀就注意到這現象，但當時無法解釋。如今，科學家們在實驗室中證實，蜘蛛在 無風環境下也能飛起來，成功解開了這個百年謎團。

 Source: University of Bristol – Spiderlings can use electric fields to fly

spiderling

/ˈspʌɪdəlɪŋ/

noun

1. a young spider.

Mummichog
Scientific classification

Kingdom:
Animalia

Phylum:

Chordata

Class:

Actinopterygii

Order:

Cyprinodontiformes


Family:

Fundulidae de le willett

Genus:
Fundulus

Species:

F. heteroclitus


Subspecies:

F. h. heteroclitus


Trinomial name





killifish
Killifish (Fundulus chrysotus) (credit: Gene Wolfsheimer)

Any of a few hundred species of egg-laying topminnows (see guppy) in the family Cyprinodontidae. They are found worldwide in brackish, salt, and fresh water, including desert hot springs. Some species grow to 6 in. (15 cm) long. Killifish eat plant or animal material at the water's surface. Many species (e.g., the lyretail) are attractively coloured and are kept in home aquariums. Killifish are also valuable as bait and for mosquito control. Pupfish (Cyprinodon) inhabit California coasts and certain salt-lake shores in the western U.S. Some pupfish are listed as endangered; the Tecopa pupfish (C. nevadensis; 0.6 in. [1.5 cm] long) was declared extinct in 1981.

For more information on killifish, visit Britannica.com.