Imagine a new Spider-Man movie opening not with a laboratory accident involving a black widow, but with a tiny, fuzzy spider sitting quietly beneath a leaf. It has enormous eyes, extraordinary jumping ability and a silk-producing system so sophisticated that scientists are only beginning to understand it.

With the latest results, and the continued development of the X-ray facility made possible by the National Science Foundation and private philanthropic support, the full capabilities of ASU’s compact X-ray facility will officially begin as a national user facility for the worldwide scientific community.