Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald
LightNews LightNews
evoimec.bsky.social
Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald
@evoimec.bsky.social
97 followers 21 following 8 posts
Evolutionary Biomechanics lab @unigreifswald.bsky.social | Diversity & evolution of function in biological materials and animal traits | PI @wolffspider.bsky.social
Posts Replies Media Videos
evoimec.bsky.social
Spiders possess multiple types of silk glands, which produce silk materials with contrasting properties.
What happens if they combine different silks into a single line - Does this reinforce, even toughen, the silk thread?

We got some answers from cellar and cave spiders:
doi.org/10.1039/D5SM... 🔓
January 29, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Reposted by Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald
roesslerdaniela.bsky.social
🕸️ Massive web stretch from our cribellating friend (Asianopis subrufa) recorded in the field. If you’re intrigued by this fabulous #spider #silk read on doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2529200123 by @evoimec.bsky.social et al :) 🕸️
January 27, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald
roesslerdaniela.bsky.social
🕸️ The #silk of this gorgeous little cribellator is not your standard silk - read @evoimec.bsky.social new study here: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... 🕸️
January 27, 2026 at 6:10 PM
evoimec.bsky.social
Netcasting spiders modulate silk thread stiffness via a tailorable multi-fibre meta-structure to construct a web that is hyperelastic and high load-bearing at the same time.
Read about our discovery in PNAS: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
🔓 & with video content!
Figure showing a video still from a high speed video of a netcasting spider capturing a cricket with its elastic web held in the front legs. Left to the video still there are load-strain diagrams of different lines in the web showing that the upper lines are stiff and strong and the lower lines are highly extensible. Left to the diagrams there are scanning elactron microcopy images of the dfifferent lines, showing that the upper, stiffer lines are cables made of many parallal fibres, whereas the lower lines have a soft central core with adjoined looped fibres. The degree of looping correlates with how much the spiders post-process the silk after spinning. This way they can tailor the stiffness of each line in the web separately and create a vertical stiffness gradient throughout the whole web architecture from stiff and strong in the upper load bearing frame to soft and hyper-elastic in the lower part that is rapidly extended and thrown against the prey at high speed during the predatory strike.
January 27, 2026 at 7:38 AM
Reposted by Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald
wolffspider.bsky.social
@maitryjani.bsky.social from my lab @evoimec.bsky.social talks about her scientific journey and newest paper in @jexpbiol.bsky.social ERC Spotlight:
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Photo of Maitry Jani in the lab, smiling, showing a large live spider sitting on her hand.
November 10, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald
wolffspider.bsky.social
Just back from a productive writing retreat of @evoimec.bsky.social and @multipleye-lab.bsky.social on the remote island of Hiddensee.
Look out for new papers coming up from our labs!
December 4, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Reposted by Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald
royalsocietypublishing.org
We're excited to announce the finalists of the #RSPPhotoComp 2025! 🎉 Starting with #microimaging and overall winner, 'Mesmerizing spider threads' by Dr Martin Ramirez, capturing two exceptional silk threads of the Australian net-caster spider (sample obtained by Dr Jonas Wolff @evoimec.bsky.social).
'Mesmerizing spider threads' by Dr Martin J. Ramirez, captures two exceptional silk threads of the Australian net-caster spider, Asianopis subrufa.
December 4, 2025 at 10:57 AM
evoimec.bsky.social
Very nice visualisation of sexual dimorphism in arthropod jump performance 😎
pipilika.bsky.social Ajay Narendra @pipilika.bsky.social · Feb 12
Our latest paper on the jump kinematics and choreography in the Oz Splendid Peacock spider. We filmed & analysed locomotory jumps in male & female spiders. The males are incredibly light - measuring just 2mg - and oh they can jump! Videos in the thread. Open Access - read here: tinyurl.com/4bnpz9tz
May 24, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald
sandyk.bsky.social
Are you interested in learning about how engineering and physics can be applied to study the motions of #plants, #invertebrates, and #animals? Here's a non-exhaustive list of Comparative Biomechanists to get started! 🦋 🐟 🦎 🌿 🧪
go.bsky.app/HvHFgvB

Apologies for any that I may have been missed.
November 29, 2024 at 4:28 PM
evoimec.bsky.social
Check out the beautiful light arts in our little city.
Featuring an animation of bird flight that you get going by running inside the installation. #Kinematics / #biomechanics meets arts.
wolffspider.bsky.social Dr. Jonas Wolff @wolffspider.bsky.social · Feb 18
Beautiful light art at the Shining Lights festival in #Greifswald - with several biological motifs 🤩 Very nice idea to make the cold and dark season a little brighter - should become a regular event!
One installation features the #kinematics of #birdflight and it's interactive 🤯😊
February 19, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Reposted by Evolutionary Biomechanics lab Greifswald
bugsorbust.bsky.social
Eight legs to bring a little joy to your timeline (skyline?). Zoropsis spinimana, aka the “Nosferatu spider.” Isn’t she so cute? 🥹

Thank you to @wolffspider.bsky.social and your lab @evoimec.bsky.social for a warm welcome in Greifswald! Please follow them and their amazing work!
January 27, 2025 at 1:03 PM
evoimec.bsky.social
We are looking forward to an exciting new year of science.
Which fascinating new discoveries will it bring?
Members of the EvoMec lab standing on a wooden bench on the hilltop of Dornbusch, Hiddensee Island, with lighthouse in the background.
January 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM