Whether it's a sudden dash across the garage or silhouette in a backyard web, spiders evoke fear in many people. But researchers don't have a clear picture of why, exactly, this phobia is so common.

There are two types of people in this world: People who detest spiders, and people who pretend to tolerate those eight-legged arthropods. The American Psychiatric Association estimates that 9 percent ...

Eye-tracking experiments reveal a curious contradiction: people tend to avoid looking at spiders when other creatures are present, yet striking features such as large eyes, bright colors, and webs ...