04/15/2020
What Makes Gecko Feet So Sticky?
‘It was originally believed that the feet themselves were just sticky, covered in some sort of secretion that made them adhere to the wall like glue. However, while this could explain their ability to cling to smooth surfaces, the theory fell apart when the gecko moved. If a glue-like substance really held them to the wall, how were they able to pick their feet up so quickly and move across the glass at such speeds? Furthermore, they did not leave any residue in their wake suggesting that some other force was behind their sticky powers. As researchers studied the geckos, they made an startling discovery: the geckos can "turn on/off" their stickyness as needed.’
‘The toe pads are covered in thousands of microscopic hairs that we call setae; each individual seta splits off into hundreds more smaller bristles called spatulae. So how do hairs make a gecko sticky? These microscopic hairs fit so well into the contours of walls and surfaces that the van der Waals force comes into play. This force is a physical bond that occurs when the electrons in the gecko's toe molecules interact with electrons from the wall molecules. In effect, the gecko is clinging to the wall using electromagnetism.’ J⭐️
Source/Read More:
https://steemit.com/science//what-makes-gecko-feet-so-sticky
Reference/Read More:
https://www.livescience.com/47307-how-geckos-stick-and-unstick-feet.html
