From Spiders to Space: Latest Science Revelations Unveiled

The latest science news covers a variety of fascinating topics. Joro spiders, native to East Asia, are spreading across the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. Boeing's Starliner spacecraft reaches the International Space Station despite hurdles. A study suggests that African savannah elephants might use vocalizations akin to names.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Scary but shy Joro spiders spread to US gardens, parking lots

Scary Joro spiders the size of a human hand are spreading across the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and heading north. The East Asian species is named after the mythical Japanese creature Jorogumo, which can turn into a beautiful woman and trap men with silk. With blue-black and yellow stripes, long legs and sometimes a splash of red, Joros may look terrifying but are actually quite shy.

Starliner flight is one big step for Boeing's space capsule, but many hurdles remain

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft scored a crucial achievement last week with the delivery of two astronauts to the International Space Station, but problems encountered along its journey in space and more hurdles that lie ahead make the aerospace giant's goal toward routine missions a distant prospect. The CST-100 Starliner capsule's first crewed docking with two astronauts to the International Space Station on Thursday marked a long-sought safety demonstration for two audiences: NASA, which wants a second U.S. spacecraft for rides to orbit, and the nascent market for private astronaut missions that is currently dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX and its Crew Dragon capsule.

Study shows elephants might call each other by name

Over the years, researchers who study elephants have noticed an intriguing phenomenon. Sometimes when an elephant makes a vocalization to a group of other elephants, all of them respond. But sometimes when that same elephant makes a similar call to the group, only a single individual responds. Could it be that elephants address each other by the equivalent of a name? A new study involving wild African savannah elephants in Kenya lends support to this idea.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)