Hanging on by a Hair The gecko’s remarkable climbing ability has
puzzled scientific minds for centuries—until now, that is.
Assistant Professor of Biology Kellar Autumn and a team of
biologists and engineers have cracked the molecular secrets of
the gecko’s unsurpassed sticking power—opening the door for
engineers to fabricate prototypes of synthetic gecko adhesive.
Working at Lewis & Clark College, the University of California
at Berkeley, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and
Stanford University, the interdisciplinary team: - Confirmed
speculation that the gecko’s amazing climbing ability depends on
weak molecular attractive forces called van der Waals forces. -
Rejected a competing model based on the adhesion chemistry of
water molecules. - Discovered that the gecko’s adhesive depends
on geometry, not surface chemistry. In other words, the size and
shape of the tips of gecko foot hairs—not what they are made
of—determine the gecko’s stickiness. Back to Winter 2003
Chronicle