Collaborative research: Spider, spider, learning bright

It's called a recluse, but that doesn't stop Assistant Professor of Biology Greta Binford (below, far right) and her students from bringing the poisonous arachnid out into the open. They know the brown recluse bites people only when its life is endangered. Supported in part by a grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Binford and students such as (left to right) Melissa Bodner '04, Fred Frank Memorial Scholar Lindsay Rogers '07, and Michael Janes '06 research the feeding habits, venom content, and genetic code of the brown recluse and its cousin, Sicarius, for evolutionary clues that may help isolate chemicals with medical benefits and translate into a wellspring of discovery. Read more on Greta Binford's collaborative research.