--- title: "Scientists Warn That a Giant Spider Is Spreading Across the United States" description: "Air Attack Arachnophobes beware! According to the University of Georgia, giant spiders the size of your palm are set to parachute from the sky all over the Eastern United States this summer. The massive blue, black, and yellow spiders called Joro spiders are set to “be all over power lines, in trees around town and […]" date: "2022-03-09" modified: "2022-03-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/giant-spider-spreading-united-states" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "spiders" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Warn That a Giant Spider Is Spreading Across the United States ![According to the University of Georgia, giant spiders the size of your palm are set to parachute from the sky all over the country this summer.]() *\Image: University of Georgia\* ## Air Attack Arachnophobes beware! According to the University of Georgia, giant spiders the size of your palm are set to parachute from the sky all over the Eastern United States this summer. The massive blue, black, and yellow arachnids, called Joro spiders, are set to "be all over power lines, in trees around town and even on your front porch come summer," according to the [university's statement](). And humans are likely at fault, because we accidentally imported the spiders as stowaways on shipping containers from Asia, the researchers suggest. Sorry, folks — the giant spiders are your own damn fault! ## Spider Era While it's an invasive species, there's a silver lining: scientists don't believe the critters impact local ecosystems much. They also aren't prone to bite humans unless provoked. Besides, their tiny fangs aren't often long enough to break human skin. "People should try to learn to live with them," advised Andy Davis, corresponding author of a new study published in the journal Physiological Entomology, and research scientist at the University of Georgia, in the statement. "If they’re literally in your way, I can see taking a web down and moving them to the side, but they’re just going to be back next year," he added. ## Surviving the Cold The Joro spider is a relative of the golden silk spider, which landed in the US from the tropics in the 1800s. Using a sightings tracking app called iNaturalist, the team of researchers kept track of the spread of the species to find out if, like the golden silk spider, it was confined to the Southeast due to its vulnerability to colder temperatures. According to their new study, however, the Joro spider can withstand even brief freezes and its metabolism keeps working in colder climates. That means we should expect it to show up in much wider swathes of the country. "Just by looking at that, it looks like the Joros could probably survive throughout most of the Eastern Seaboard here, which is pretty sobering," Davis said in the statement. **READ MORE:** [Joro spiders likely to spread beyond Georgia]() \[University of Georgia\] **More on creepy crawlers:** *[Scientists Create Horrifically Mutated Spider-Like Creatures]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()