How Do Geckos Defy Gravity? 🦎

Morning climbers!

Have you ever wondered how geckos…

Uh… Defy gravity??

Well, you’d think it’d be because they’ve got sticky feet or something…

But look… 

That's not true.

So... what's the secret??

Ya, it turns out, their grip is all to do with ATOMS!

Check out their toes…

See these ridges? They’re called lamellae.

And they are absolutely COVERED tiny little hairs called setae.

And these setae branch further into millions of little pads called spatulae.

That's a lot of names of things…

But, have you ever heard the phrase “opposites attract?”

Well, the positive or negatively charged atoms in these spatulae like to align themselves against the atoms on the surface of whatever the gecko is climbing. 

Creating an attracting force called a Van der Waals force.

And because they have SOOO many atoms…

On SOOO many spatulae…

It allows them to grip, without being sticky!!!

Stay Cute,
Reece, Henry & Dylan 🌈

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