There are more than 50 000 species of spiders. They surround us in our daily lives and, contrary to popular belief, the vast majority are completely harmless to humans. James O’Hanlon takes us from his backyard to all corners of the globe (and even outer space!) to explore these fascinating creatures and show us why they’re not so scary after all. You’ll encounter everything from miniscule jumping spiders with super intelligence to giant tarantulas whose venom could one day save your life. Clearing up spider myths and misconceptions, James O’Hanlon introduces readers to the beauty of their lives, including remarkable hunting techniques, the fascinating engineering of spider silk and the spiders that live in extremes — from underwater to the slopes of Mount Everest.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to James O'Hanlon about why spiders are awesome and don't deserve their scary reputation, the amazing array of forms and behaviour in the spider world, how we've ventured into the minds of spiders to discover they are not only beautiful but incredibly smart too, and the most important things to consider when you think you've been bitten.

James O'Hanlon on discovering the incredible world of spiders in 'Silk and Venom'

Book talk and author interviews aimed at helping you discover your next favourite read, presented by Good Reading Magazine.

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