The 'Portia fimbriata' spider in a sleeping position, hanging upside down beneath its self-spun web. (Daniela C Rößler pic) PETALING JAYA: Nature has a habit of making even familiar ideas feel strange again. Scientists are now finding evidence that spiders may pass through different sleep stages, seabirds can be frightened away from fishing nets by giant googly eyes, and underwater sound could help struggling reefs recover.
Here are five recent discoveries that show how much remains to be learnt about the natural world.
Do spiders sleep deeply enough to experience something like dreams? Scientists are not ready to go that far, but new research suggests at least one jumping spider passes through two distinct sleep stages.
