This Unusual Spider’s Genome Is Roughly 50% Larger Than a Human’s

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have sequenced the genome of the trapdoor spider Aptostichus stephencolberti, revealing it is 50% larger than the human genome. Despite its size of 4.6 billion DNA base pairs, the spider does not possess an unusually high number of genes. Instead, the genome is dominated by repetitive DNA sequences, providing new insights into how spider genetics and chromosomes have evolved over time.