Nicholas Brandley didn’t think so, and embraced the study of black widow spiders. “Their fangs don’t even usually pierce human skin!” he says in an effort to be reassuring. While widows ...

Fortunately, fatalities are fairly rare; the spiders are nonaggressive and bite only in self-defense, such as when someone accidentally sits on them. The animals most at risk from the black widow' ...

Alaska is the only state that doesn't have a type of black widow spider. Although black widow spider bites can be dangerous, ...

Her science communication work spans journalism and public engagement. View Full Profile. Learn about our Editorial Policies. The thought of black widow spiders is enough to send chills down one’s ...