Oh dang...I guess I just looked at the first page to make sure the link worked...
The most interesting tidbit from the article (okay, the only part I could understand):
"Theoretically, the 6.5 million setae [that's the microscopic fiberous thingies on geckoes feetses that makes them stick] on a tokay gecko could generate 1,300 newtons of shear force--enough to support the weight of two medium-sized people--based on measurements from single setae. These numbers suggest that a gecko is only attaching 3 percent of its setae in generating the strongest force (20 newtons) measure in whole-animal experiments. Even more surprising, a 50-gram gecko needs less than 0.04 percent of its setae (attached maximally) to support its mass (which requires half a newton of force) on a wall. At first glance, gecko feet seem to be enormously overbuilt by virtue of a safety margin of at least 3,900 percent." --American Scientist, Volume 94
Sticky dudes!
Sorry the link requires access...=P







Reply With Quote