Spotlight: Spider webs: they can be a work of art, sparkling with the morning dew. But you wouldn't want to walk into one in a dark room. The silky thread thrown out from the spider's spinnerets is stronger than the same weight of steel, and far more flexible. Though most webs are relatively small, some spiders have been known to spin their webs near each other, with the webs joining. In 2007, a web found in Texas' Lake Tawakoni State Park measured 200 yards (180 m) across. Last month, scientists confirmed that threads found embedded in a prehistoric piece of amber were part of a 140,000,000-year-old spider web. According to an Oxford University paleobiologist, this proves that arachnids had been ensnaring their prey in silky nets since the dinosaur age.