Wednesday, April 21, 2004

IOP: Spiders make best ever Post-it notes

4/19/04 link from IoP's Journal News feed
"Scientists have found that the way spiders stick to ceilings could be the key to making Post-it(tm) notes that dont fall off -- even when they are wet. A team from Germany and Switzerland have made the first detailed examinations of a jumping spider's 'foot' and have discovered that a molecular force sticks the spider to almost anything. The force is so strong that these spiders could carry over 170 times their own body weight while standing on the ceiling. The research is published today (Monday 19 April 2004) in the Institute of Physics journal Smart Materials and Structures"
Pretty cool. Maybe they can make spiderman suits for a reasonable price. Can this be used in construction?

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