Though pigments form other colors in animals, such as red and yellow, the process is different with blue. When hit by light, nanostructures in the cells reflect a blue color back to our eyes, says Kariko, who wasn’t involved in the new study., an associate professor at Virginia Tech who collaborates with Kariko in studying spider colors.
For the study, Chomphuhuang and colleagues went on an expedition to the mangroves of Phang-Nga Province, searching at night in the humid, muddy vegetation for a tarantula’s telltale sign: Shroud-like webs covering its burrow.In this case, the team spotted a blue tarantula in the hollow of a tree, which they had to climb to lure the animal out. Another expedition revealed the spider living in evergreen trees, a separate ecosystem.
Back in the lab, the scientists compared the tarantula’s DNA and physical characteristics to similar species and pinpointed key differences, including their coloring., refers to Natakorn Changrew and Nichada Changrew, two executives at Thai real estate developer Nichada Properties Co, Ltd., which won an auction to name the spider. Proceeds will go to support healthcare and education for the Lahu, an Indigenous group in southern Thailand.
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