Watery Gecko Grip Could Lead to Stickier Tape Christine Dell'Amore - National Geographic News
go to original April 4, 2013

Watch a video of geckos clinging to wet surfaces. (National Geographic)

Scientists have long known that geckos can scurry up walls, Spider-Man style. But less well understood is how these reptiles cling to wet surfaces, which are common in their rainy tropical habitats.

The answer, a new study reveals, is that a gecko's sticky toes enable the animal to walk across wet surfaces that don't get uniformly wet, like waxy leaves - but not on easily wettable surfaces, like glass.

This is "an interesting question that the field of gecko biology hasn't quite looked at before" now,  said study leader Alyssa Stark, a biologist at the University of Akron in Ohio.

Why does it matter? Because figuring out a gecko's grip could help people make adhesives that will work in water, Stark said. Imagine, for instance, putting a Band-Aid on underwater and having it stick just as well as it would on land.

Read the rest at National Geographic News

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