Events

Sponsored by: Concorde Route Services, LLC Featuring Dr. Lauren Esposito of the California Academy of Science

Why not ring in the new year with a journey into the surprising world of arachnids? Enjoy a spider-themed cocktail while learning all about the sordid sexual habits and mind blowing medicinal properties of arachnids!

Arachnids (scorpions, spiders, and their kin) are an enigmatic group of animals: though recognized and feared by all, there are many aspects of their basic biology that remain a mystery. These unique creatures are found worldwide from the highest massifs to deserts to deep cenote caves 600 meters below sea level. Arachnids exhibit complex courtship rituals, and their bizarre reproductive strategies include traumatic insemination and autotomy (self-amputation) of reproductive organs. They produce materials stronger than steel, and some species may even hold they key to curing some forms of cancer. Nonetheless, there are still dozens of new species discovered each year and the natural history of these secretive animals is still in many ways unknown to us. We will enter the fascinating world of arachnids, the discoveries that have been made, and some of the mysteries that remain to be explored.

Dr. Lauren Esposito is the Curator(ess) of Arachnology at the California Academy of Sciences, and the co-founder of the science and education non-profit, Islands & Seas. Lauren has traveled extensively in the Caribbean region as a National Science Foundation postdoctoral research fellow (University of California at Berkeley), studying biogeography of arachnids in one of the greatest biodiversity hotspots in the world. Her doctoral dissertation was completed at the American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the City University of New York, and focused on the medically important North American scorpion genus Centruroides. Lauren’s current research focuses on trying to understand the patterns and processes of evolution in spiders, scorpions, and their venoms. When she’s not sailing around the Caribbean islands or trekking through tropical jungles, she can be found basking in the fog of San Francisco.