Science Snapshot: Legs for Days

This image took 4th place at the 2022 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition.

| 1 min read
Close up of spider

Andrew Posselt, courtesy of Nikon

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Close up of spider
A 3X magnification view of a daddy long-legs (Pholcus phalangioides)
Andrew Posselt, courtesy of Nikon

Whether you call them daddy long-legs spiders, cellar spiders, skull spiders, or any other nickname, arachnids of the Pholcus family have long legs and a bite that doesn’t really affect humans. Andrew Posselt, a transplant surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco, used image stacking to compile a detailed picture of Pholcus phalangioides at 3X magnification. The spider’s portrait took 4th place in this year’s Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition.

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Meet the Author

  • Lisa Winter

    Lisa Winter became social media editor for The Scientist in 2017. In addition to her duties on social media platforms, she also pens obituaries for the website. She graduated from Arizona State University, where she studied genetics, cell, and developmental biology.
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