Scared of spiders? Scientists say the real nightmare is losing them

Members of the arachnid class -- think spiders, scorpions and harvestmen (daddy long legs) -- often trigger feelings of fear or disgust. Despite this reaction, these animals play an essential role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. As global biodiversity declines, including what some researchers describe as an "insect apocalypse," two ecologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst set out to examine how insects and arachnids are doing in the United States. What they uncovere...