The mystery of how geckos manage to scurry up walls and stick to ceilings may have been solved by scientists. It seems the little lizards have a network of tiny hairs and pads on their feet which produce electrical attractions that literally glue the animals down. With millions of the hairs on each foot, the combined attraction of the weak electrical forces allow the gecko to stick to virtually any surface - even polished glass. Californian researchers believe the reptile's sticky toes could now help them to develop a novel synthetic adhesive that is both dry and self-cleaning.
Geckos are small, insect-eating, and often very noisy creatures that have become popular pets.
Close up on the gecko's setae Biologists have long admired the animals' ability to walk up smooth surfaces but have never really understood how it was done. Suction was regarded as an unlikely explanation since geckos can cling on to a wall even in a vacuum. That astonishing trick of walking upside down on the ceiling would seem to rule out friction. Furthermore, without any glands on their feet, it would be hard for geckos to produce their own natural glue. But a team of researchers, led by Professor Robert Full, now think it may all come down to van der Waals forces - the weak attraction that molecules have for one another when they are brought very, very close together.