One Sheet of Paper and a Lot of Patience

Image courtesy of Robert J. Lang, www.langorigami.com

What's an engineer and physicist do in his free time? Fold paper, in the case of Robert J. Lang. For over 30 years, Dr. Lang has practiced the art of origami, or paper folding. He's now a full-time origami artist.

His origami praying mantis, pictured here, caught my eye with its remarkable accuracy and detail. The paper mantid, folded from a single square of paper, holds its grasping front legs as if ready to grab a caterpillar. On his website, Dr. Lang shares images of 60 origami insects or arthropods, each with the same attention to detail.

Think you can fold a paper insect? Check out two of Dr. Lang's origami books - Origami Insects and Their Kin and Origami Insects II. The 38 insect designs in these two guides should keep you busy for a while.