gecko

New family of gecko discovered

harminka — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:36:14 -0500

Researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum of Natural History and Pennsylvania’s Villanova University have discovered a new family of gecko, the charismatic large-eyed lizard popularized by car insurance commercials.

New adhesive mimics gecko toe hairs

harminka — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:08:23 -0600

A new anti-sliding adhesive developed by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, may be the closest man-made material yet to mimic the remarkable gecko toe hairs that allow the tiny lizard to scamper along vertical surfaces and ceilings.

Sticky questions tackled in gecko research

harminka — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 07:40:10 -0600

Velcro, Superglue and Post-It Notes… Three things that started out as obscure inventions but are now indispensable for everyday life. So what will the next idea to stick with modern society look like" The answer may lie in the tiny toes of a humble lizard, according to a University of Calgary biologist who is trying to figure out how geckos can cling to virtually any surface, including glass.

Nanotube Adhesive Sticks Better Than Gecko's Foot

harminka — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 13:55:53 -0500

Mimicking the agile gecko, with its uncanny ability to run up walls and across ceilings, has long been a goal of materials scientists. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Akron have taken one sticky step in the right direction, creating synthetic "gecko tape"Â with four times the sticking power of the real thing.

Neighbors gone, fruits gone, species gone

harminka — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:44:20 -0500

Neighbors gone, sex gone, fruits gone, species gone. This is the ultra-short conclusion of the findings in a study by Dennis Hansen, Heine KiesbÃƒÂ¼y, and Christine MÃƒÂ¼ller from Zurich University, and Carl Jones from the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, who found that an endangered plant in Mauritius depends on a neighboring plant to provide a safe home for its pollinator, a day-active gecko.