This is Scientific Americans 60 Second Science and Clara Moskowitz.

Got a minute?

As is well known, Gekko's cell car insurance.

Oh dear.

But they're also famous for their extremely

adhesive feet which can keep them stuck to walls and even ceilings.

Archimedes wondered how they do it.

Gecos can also easily loosen their grip and break into a dash, which has flummoxed physicists.

But scientific stick-toitiveness finally found the on-off switch.

What did my professor say?

Gecko's toes are covered in thousands of tiny hairs called cite. These cite can bend to make contact

with all the grooves and crevices in a surface. To adhere, the cite rely on small electromagnetic

attractions between molecules called

Vanderbilt's forces.

Researchers created mathematical models

that revealed that the default load for gecko feet

is non-sticky.

To activate the grip, the lizards extend and angle

their cite to create millions of contact

points with a surface.

The research is in the Journal of Applied Physics.

Scientists would love to create synthetic adhesives based on the gecko trick.

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