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Original poster

To wonder about DNA testing of house spiders in isolated old buildings

66 replies

DragonKaoos · 14/09/2023 21:36

If the house spider originally came from outside the UK, it might have first arrived in castles and stately homes inside packing crates.

So, are the spiders in castles and stately homes the direct descendants of spiders that arrived in those buildings a few hundred years earlier?

If they did DNA tests on house spiders in different castles would they find that they were genetically diverse because of being in those castles for centuries? By which I mean, do spiders in Balmoral have DNA that’s different to the DNA of spiders in Windsor castle?

OP posts:
NalafromtheLionKing · 14/09/2023 21:38

You don’t need dna tests, just look at their Crown Jewels.

TregunaMekoides · 14/09/2023 21:40

Wow. This is like a perfect written down example of thoughts my brain chucks out when I'm trying to sleep at night.

Anycrispsleft · 14/09/2023 21:50

Is this the answer to what do women think about when men are thinking about the Romans?

Foggyfoggyfoggy · 14/09/2023 21:51

Wonder how big the family tree would be??

GoingToBeLessRubbishAtLife · 14/09/2023 21:51

The house spider isn’t native? I never knew that!

Thepeopleversuswork · 14/09/2023 21:54

Is the house spider not indigenous to the UK?

You mean to say someone imported these horrendous things onto our shores?

I'm torn between my fascination and my terror that someone is going to tip up and post a nasty picture.

Stupendousseptember · 14/09/2023 22:10

Op what a fabulous idea.

I wonder it cardinal spiders didn't accidently travel in with Raleighs potatoes 😱

SabrinaThwaite · 14/09/2023 22:41

If the house spider originally came from outside the UK, it might have first arrived in castles and stately homes inside packing crates.

The Natural History museum reckons that they came in with cargo from the Mediterranean. So more likely in the wine and olives destined for Biggus Dickus in his hardship posting in the outreaches of the Roman Empire.

See, women think about the Romans too.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/identify-nature/spiders-in-your-home/house-spider.html

Doingtheboxerbeat · 14/09/2023 22:45

They're all from another planet entirely and you can't convince me otherwise 🥺.

ShitMermaid · 14/09/2023 22:48

I will reread this next time I am stoned.
Thanks OP.

user76541055773 · 14/09/2023 22:52

Fascinating!

lunar1 · 14/09/2023 22:56

This post is my brain at 3am when I really should be sleeping!

parietal · 14/09/2023 22:57

If the castles were properly isolated, you could presumably get different subspecies of spider in each. But the transport of suitcases/ antiques/ taxidermy animals etc between castles probably messes that up.

JanesBlond · 14/09/2023 22:58

I was actually wondering something similar in the shower this morning - my house is Victorian, is it likely that the spiders that inhabit it with me are the descendants of the original spiders that moved in 150 years ago? Meaning they have more right to be here than I do?

Angrymum22 · 14/09/2023 23:08

OP you would love my DS18 he is definitely on your wavelength and we often have out of the box conversations. His latest is about time travel and living our best life. It’s complicated but if time travel exists in the future then we are living our best life at the moment. If it doesn’t exist everything that happens is pure luck or chance.
For example the Ukrainian war may have a significant positive impact on the future so there is no point anyone in the future trying to change it. Covid may have conferred immunity for a much more deadly virus in the future ( now this is the sci-fi) so someone travelled back to infect us with a virus that will confer immunity to prevent a catastrophic pandemic in the future.
I know it sounds daft but it does make you think.

Angrymum22 · 14/09/2023 23:11

As for spiders we live in an area where house spiders are mutants.
Actually DS always finds the largest ones in his room which is probably down to the fact that like most teenage boys he leaves plenty of food lying around so they become supersized.

Incywincywoo · 14/09/2023 23:20

You would expect some genetic diversity between distinct groups but nothing extreme unless there’s something environmentally different to promote change…

Incidentally, I’ve just discovered that house spider females are saucy mares mixing sperm from multiple males due to this thread! So maybe that mixes things up a bit!! 🥴

Insidenumber09 · 14/09/2023 23:27

They’re pretty much native in my house. Last night, went up to bed. Picked up my (black) beaker from bathroom counter top and rinsed it out to fill with water to drink before I got into bed and a mahoosive house spider tumbled out into the sink I mean holy fuck it’s the thing nitemares are made of 😵‍💫

Wednesdaysotherchild · 14/09/2023 23:28

They’re genetically linked to the bison living in the water supply, I think.

GuanYinShanxi · 14/09/2023 23:51

DragonKaoos · 14/09/2023 21:36

If the house spider originally came from outside the UK, it might have first arrived in castles and stately homes inside packing crates.

So, are the spiders in castles and stately homes the direct descendants of spiders that arrived in those buildings a few hundred years earlier?

If they did DNA tests on house spiders in different castles would they find that they were genetically diverse because of being in those castles for centuries? By which I mean, do spiders in Balmoral have DNA that’s different to the DNA of spiders in Windsor castle?

The Romans brought them when they colonised. They came packed in crates of cloth and suchlike.

They originally lived in the hypocausts (under floor heating)

They’ve been here over 2,000 years.

The males wander off during mating season, they aren’t isolated.

GuanYinShanxi · 14/09/2023 23:53

Anycrispsleft · 14/09/2023 21:50

Is this the answer to what do women think about when men are thinking about the Romans?

Well, as Sabrina and I have pointed out, house spiders are Roman spiders. So wondering about them is tangentially thinking about the Romans and the lingering effects of the Roman Empire on daily life today.

Charlattanus23 · 14/09/2023 23:56

I have had a truly rubbish day at the Toxic Tower (NHS) and you have no idea how much this thread has cheered me up. Thank you. :)

PerkingFaintly · 14/09/2023 23:58

Whaaaaat?

So the answer to "what did the Romans ever do for us?" is "brought us house spiders"?
Shock

The fuckers!

That was kept bloody quiet in all the lessons about straight roads and hypocausts! Not enough Roman road in Britannia to make up for that!

GuanYinShanxi · 15/09/2023 00:07

PerkingFaintly · 14/09/2023 23:58

Whaaaaat?

So the answer to "what did the Romans ever do for us?" is "brought us house spiders"?
Shock

The fuckers!

That was kept bloody quiet in all the lessons about straight roads and hypocausts! Not enough Roman road in Britannia to make up for that!

Yes, and it might be linked to the fact that 31% of British people are arachnophobic. It’s one of the top 4 fears.

Whatswhatwhichiswhich · 15/09/2023 00:33

I have no idea but are wooden spoons taxidermied trees or simply the corpses of trees that we use to stir our food with?