Todd Blackledge

I've explored the evolution and ecology of spiders for over 20 years in the field, laboratory and my backyard. I'm especially fascinated by how the properties of biological materials like spider silks, or in this case structural colors, evolve and help spiders adapt to their environments. Past research in my laboratory includes understanding the origin of spider silk's incredible strength and toughness, discovering how endemic Hawaiian spiders repeatedly evolve similar orb webs through convergent evolution and understanding why spiders "decorate" their webs with stabilimenta. My recent work is especially focused on understanding how spider silks can inspire new types of biomimetic muscles and adhesives.

March 2016