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The genome of the spider Aptostichus stephencolberti is approximately 50% larger than the human genome.

ScienceGeneticsTaxonomyOct 29, 2026score 0.402 posts · 1 replies across 2 instances
The thread discusses a spider named after Stephen Colbert, highlighting its unique genomic characteristics, including a larger genome size compared to humans and the naming of other species after Colbert. It also mentions the scientific interest in the spider's genome and the significance of the naming convention.

Claims

The genome of the spider Aptostichus stephencolberti is approximately 50% larger than the human genome.
Parent: GeneticsEntity: Spider genomeSub-entity: Aptostichus stephencolbertiImpact: positiveDate: Oct 29, 2026Target: Genome size of Aptostichus stephencolberti
Multiple species have been named after Stephen Colbert, including a trapdoor spider, a diving beetle, a stonefly, and a rove beetle.
Parent: TaxonomyEntity: Species namingSub-entity: Stephen ColbertImpact: neutralDate: Oct 29, 2026Target: Number of species named after Stephen Colbert

Source posts

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The trapdoor spider, Aptostichus stephencolberti, has a genome ~50% larger than that of a human (4.3 billion base pairs vs 3). The last "t" in stephencolberti is silent 😀 In spiders, much of the genome consist of repetitive sequences. Other species named after Colbert - Agaporomorphus colberti - Venezuelan diving beetle Diamphipnoa colberti - Chilean stonefly Aleiodes colberti - Parasitic wasp from Ecuador Sonoma colberti - Rove beetle https://www.ucdavis.edu/curiosity/news/scientists-sequence-genome-spider-named-stephen-colbert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Colbert#Awards_and_honors 1/n
0 boosts · 2 favs · 1 replies · Oct 29, 2026
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The Spider Named After Stephen Colbert Has Twice as Many Chromosomes as a Human https://www.popsci.com/environment/stephen-colbert-spider-genome/ A spider named after Stephen Colbert has twice as many chromosomes as a human - Popular Science reports on the genomic peculiarities of Aptostichus stephencolberti, where the 't' is silent. #science #biology #genetics
0 boosts · 0 favs · 0 replies · Oct 29, 2026
#science#biology#genetics