Make that a decaf

Q9 was telling me about an article she read about the effects of various substances (marijuana, caffeine, etc.) on the construction of spider webs. The 10-year-old study produced intriguing results. From New Scientist:

SPIDERS on marijuana are so laid back, they weave just so much of their webs and then ... well, it just doesn't seem to matter any more. On the soporific drug chloral hydrate, they drop off before they even get started.

A spider's skill at spinning its web is so obviously affected by the ups and downs of different drugs that scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama think spiders could replace other animals in testing the toxicity of chemicals.

Different drugs have varying effects on the average arachnid addict. On benzedrine, a well-known upper, the house spider spins its web with great gusto, but apparently without much planning, leaving large holes. On caffeine it seems unable to do more than string a few threads together at random.

Which smacks a fair bit commonsense, doesn’t it? All that energy at the expense of your capacity to focus it? I can certainly relate, at least — particularly on those dreary Sunday mornings when I go to Starbucks for that triple venti jolt (which, honestly, I’m trying to scale back). Further discussion of the jittery arachnid at caffeineweb.com:

But the spider dosed with caffeine was by far the most disoriented and proved incapable of creating even a single organized cell. Its web showed no sign of the "hub and spokes" pattern fundamental to conventional web design.

What does the web of a caffeinated spider (which can hardly be accustomed to the jolt of a morning latte) have to do with human behavior? Unlikely as it sounds, it may be the most vivid illustration of caffeine's effect on caffeine-sensitive people, many of whom may tragically be misdiagnosed and medicated…

Go check it out. And grab yourself a refill on that latte.

Comments

[Belinda]

Wow. I am...feeling...the need to quit the caffeine. I knew I should anyway, but...wow. Thanks for sharing that!