Spider Silk: Evolution and 400 Million Years of Spinning, Waiting, Snagging, and Mating

(Yale University Press)

The authors tell the story of how spiders have evolved and have added new silks and new silk uses — to protect themselves and their eggs and to detect and catch prey — to their survival skill set. They show how spiders use silk to negotiate an ever-changing environment and why they are a good case study for understanding why natural selection works. Brunetta is a freelance writer. Craig is an evolutionary biologist.