Spider silks are the toughest biological materials and hold immense promise to inspire a new generation of high performance synthetic biomaterials. In the rainforests of Madagascar, Darwin’s bark spider (Caerostris darwini) spins giant orb webs across rivers and lakes using a silk that is far tougher than that produced by any other known spider. This species was discovered and described, and its ecology and natural history were additionally researched by institute researchers. Recently, we were approached by BBC to consult their filming of a documentary about this spider. This outreach resulted in a documentary and a book.
F.34 Consultancy
COBISS.SI-ID: 40640045Regular airing of a popular science internet "radio"-show (podcast). The podcast is intended for the general public and its goal is to popularize organismal biology, and to familiarize the general public with trends and importance of organismal biology.
D.10 Educational activities
Matjaž Kuntner acted as scientific editor for PLoS ONE, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, ZooKeys, Journal of Arachnology, and Hacquetia.
C.04 Editorial board of an international magazine