Sticky Gecko Feet: The Role Of Temperature And Humidity
A team of five University of Akron researchers were surprised to find that both temperature and humidity variation have an effect on gecko’s ability to cling to glass.
“For example, under very humid conditions, geckos stick with twice the force compared to dry conditions at low temperatures. At high temperatures, geckos stick comparatively poorly and the humidity level is less important. Previous work by other labs using isolated setae suggested that clinging ability should be insensitive to variation in both temperature and humidity. Our work with live geckos indicates a need to further explore the role of temperature and humidity on adhesion to different surfaces in both natural (geckos) and synthetic materials.” explained one of the researchers.
Source: EurekAlert, 13 May 2008
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