Despite the nightmarish headlines, Joro spiders aren't so scary

Published June 12, 2024 at 11:27 PM EDT

The big, bright yellow spider is stirring up some nightmarish headlines. Even though the joro spider is moving up the northeast, it doesn't pose any known risks to humans.

Related Content

Opinion: A wealth of wisdom for a bargain price

Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the discovery that what Harvard University thought was a copy of the Magna Carta is actually an original.
Amid global competition for production business, Hollywood is hurting

Mandalit del Barco

Hollywood's plummeting film and TV production levels have studio executives and grassroots groups pushing for better incentives to keep business in California.
A Russian drone strike in northeastern Ukraine kills 9 people, officials say

The Associated Press

The drone hit a bus evacuating civilians from a front-line area in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region Saturday, hours after Moscow and Kyiv had held their first direct peace talks in years.
Politics

How DOGE has tried to embed beyond the executive branch

Shannon Bond

NPR has identified nearly 40 small, independent entities – both inside and outside the federal government's control – that a team of young DOGE staffers has tried to access in recent weeks.
Trump's DOJ focuses in on voter fraud, with a murky assist from DOGE

Miles Parks

President Trump and his allies have long made false claims of widespread noncitizen voting. Now, as the GOP pursues new restrictions, experts worry isolated arrests will be used to push the new rules.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.