Spider Silk

Evolution and 400 Million Years of Spinning, Waiting, Snagging, and Mating

Brunetta Leslie, Craig Catherine L.

Spiders, objects of eternal human fascination, are found in many places: on the ground, in the air, and even under water. Leslie Brunetta and Catherine Craig have teamed up to produce a substantive yet entertaining book for anyone who has ever wondered, as a spider rappelled out of reach on a line of silk, "How do they do that?". The orb web, that iconic wheel-shaped web most of us associate with spiders, contains at least four different silk proteins, each performing a different function and all meshing together to create a fly-catching machine that has amazed and inspired humans through the ages.

Brunetta and Craig tell the intriguing story of how spiders evolved over 400 million years to add new silks and new uses for silk to their survival 'toolkit' and, in the telling, take readers far beyond the orb. The authors describe the trials and triumphs of spiders as they use silk to negotiate an ever-changing environment, and they show how natural selection acts at the genetic level and as individuals struggle for survival.

About the Author

Leslie Brunetta is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in the New York Times, Technology Review, and the Princeton Alumni Weekly as well as on NPR and elsewhere.

Catherine L. Craig, author of the monograph "Siderwebs and Silk", is an internationally recognized evolutionary biologist, arachnologist, and authority on silk.

Reviews

"This is a fascinating and readable account of one of the great, overlooked mysteries of life" – Simon Barnes, The Times

"The book is full of amusing facts and observations... Definitely for the general reader with a keen interest in natural history" – Tibor Fischer, Sunday Telegraph

"This is a compelling and immensely readable account that engages the reader from start to finish... A helpful index is also included, and a series of colour plates illustrate some of the book's subjects and themes... This well-produced book is a valuable and enjoyable contribution to fostering awareness of spider evolution... Buy it for your own interest, or as a gift for your favourite arachnophobe – you might just make a convert!" – Tim R. New, Journal Of Insect Conservation (Australia)

"Supremely absorbing book" – Ben Hoare, BBC Wildlife Magazine

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