Becca Cudmore

Picture of the Week: ‘Sequined’ Spider

This spider’s decorative patterning may seem like a dead give away to predators. But for those looking to feast on the arachnid, a species in the genus Thwaitesia, the hunt might result in confusion and failure. “Like a disco ball with lots of different mirrors,” reflective splotches on this spider's abdomen probably “scatter light and […]

10 Questions for Biruté Mary Galdikas, Orangutan Expert

Picture of the Week: Mating Pandemonium in African Forest Elephants

Picture of the Week: Mating Pandemonium in African Forest Elephants

What ‘Dune’ Art Says About Life on Earth

Picture of the Week: Galaxy Bonanza

You’re looking at more than 10,000 galaxies—and for some, it's their first time on public display. The portrait, released this past June, is a compilation of a decade’s, and 841 orbits’, worth of photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope as it’s drifted hundreds of miles above Earth. NASA calls the image “the most comprehensive […]

Picture of the Week: Harlequin Bug Eggs

The piebald cylinders above may look like handcrafted confections, but they’re hardly sweet. These are actually insect eggs, and within two weeks, each one will release a starving, life-sucking harlequin bug nymph. When they feed in large numbers, the insects—a species of stink bug native to Central America—have been known to decimate entire fields of […]

Chinook Salmon Could Make Splashy Return

Summer’s just arriving, but in a few months, anglers, bears, and eagles in the Pacific Northwest might enjoy an autumn feast that’s rich in omega-3s. Biologists in the Portland, Oregon area predict that 1.5 million fall Chinook salmon will migrate from the ocean to spawning grounds in the Columbia River Basin starting in August and […]