They were doing neural recordings of a spider`s brain to study its sense of sight when they noticed neurons firing in response to the chair. The same neurons would fire in response to clapping from up to 16 feet away.
The researchers have since gone on to find similar abilities in at least five other species of spider, and they believe many others have similar capabilities, the Washington Post reports.
That means spiders can hear people "talking and walking," researcher Gil Menda tells New Scientist. Researchers believe the spiders are using sensory hairs on their front legs to sense vibrations moving through the air.
These hairs are attuned to different frequencies in each spider. In the original jumping spider, they triggered a response in reaction to frequencies that matched the beating of a predatory wasp`s wings.
"In the movies, Spider-Man has this strange, additional `spidey sense` that helps him sense danger—it turns out the real-life spidey sense of spiders might actually be hearing," Menda tells Phys.org.
More about:
