HeatherRose
01-04-05, 06:25 PM
A friend just sent me this, I thought it was neat:
http://sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/01/03/gecko050103.html
Link has pics...
PORTLAND, ORE. - The adhesive hairs that geckos use to stick to surfaces are self-cleaning. Scientists say the finding could lead to ouchless bandages or longer-lasting duct tape.
In 2003, researchers in the U.S. found geckos, or tropical lizards, used tiny forces between atoms that are close together to cling to ceilings and walls.
The team also synthesized an adhesive based on the microscopic hairs coating the bottom of gecko feet.
Now they say the microscopic hairs, or setae, also clean themselves. Geckos don't groom their feet and the adhesive on their toes is too sticky to shake off dirt.
"Conventional adhesives like tape just get dirtier and dirtier, but we discovered that gecko feet actually become cleaner with repeated use," said Kellar Autumn, a biology professor at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., in a release.
http://sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/01/03/gecko050103.html
Link has pics...
PORTLAND, ORE. - The adhesive hairs that geckos use to stick to surfaces are self-cleaning. Scientists say the finding could lead to ouchless bandages or longer-lasting duct tape.
In 2003, researchers in the U.S. found geckos, or tropical lizards, used tiny forces between atoms that are close together to cling to ceilings and walls.
The team also synthesized an adhesive based on the microscopic hairs coating the bottom of gecko feet.
Now they say the microscopic hairs, or setae, also clean themselves. Geckos don't groom their feet and the adhesive on their toes is too sticky to shake off dirt.
"Conventional adhesives like tape just get dirtier and dirtier, but we discovered that gecko feet actually become cleaner with repeated use," said Kellar Autumn, a biology professor at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., in a release.