Gecko Grip: It’s Atomic (Really) | Deep Look

No suction cups, no Velcro, no glue. Geckos navigate nearly any surface with something far cooler: an electron dance at the atomic scale. SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! Please join our community on Patreon! DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. Gecko feet aren’t covered in suction cups or Velcro. They don’t squirt glue, or leave any footprints. Their secret is a herculean amount of grip -- at the atomic scale. A gecko’s toes are covered in tiny hairs that branch out into millions of microscopic, spatula-shaped pads. Those pads, called spatulae, get so close to the surfaces on which a gecko moves, the electrons of the spatulae and those on the surface start to sync up. That dance is called Van der Waals force, and it’s what gives geckos their sticking power. --- What do gecko feet have to do with earthquakes? Biophysics Professor Kellar Autumn has been taking a very close look at gecko feet for decades. He’s especially interested in how the physics of gecko adhesion can be applied across disciplines, including in rate-and-state friction models used to predict seismic activity. Read more about his work here! --- How many species of geckos are there? There are 2,200 known living species of geckos. California Academy Research Associate and Villanova University Professor Aaron Bauer literally wrote the book on geckos. It’s called “Geckos: The Animal Answer Guide.” Bauer has discovered some 9% of the scientific world’s known geckos. Read about his recent discoveries in the 2022 “Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences“ here: --- Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science: --- More Great Deep Look episodes: Snakes Smell in Stereo | Deep Look Watch Barn Owls Swallow Rodents Whole | Deep Look Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life Raft to Survive Floods | Deep Look GIF CHALLENGE WINNERS: 🏆Congratulations🏆 to these fans on our Deep Look Community Tab who came up with *new* names for our friend, the gecko: 1. Gonzo (20 votes) by Call me Jephph 2. Gravity Doubters (6 votes) by Scrote Goblin 3. Sticklet (6 votes) by Sakshi Suryawanshi 4. Stickzard (4 votes) by Preet Budhwani and tied for 5th with 3 votes each: ANTIGRAVISAUR! by eklectiktoni Lyle by Neon Beige moon-eye by Herique Martins --- Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10 per month)! Burt Humburg Karen Reynolds Daisuke Goto Companion Cube David Deshpande Chris B Emrick Tianxing Wang Wade Tregaskis Mark Jobes Blanca Vides Kevin Judge Laurel Przybylski Cindy McGill monoirre Roberta K Wright Supernovabetty Titania Juang Syniurge KW Carrie Mukaida Rory B. El Samuels Jessica Hiraoka Cristen Rasmussen Jellyman SueEllen McCann Kelly Hong Mehdi Laurel Przybylski Levi Cai TierZoo Nicolette Ray Jeremiah Sullivan Noreen Herrington Elizabeth Ann Ditz Louis O’Neill --- Follow Deep Look and KQED Science on social:   @deeplookofficial Instagram: Twitter: --- About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS member station in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED. #deeplook