What this great picture fails to show, is that those bulbous toes are covered in hundreds of tiny microscopic hairs called setae. Each seta splits off into hundreds of even smaller bristles called spatulae. Those tufts of tiny hairs get so close to the contours in walls and ceilings that the van der Waals force kicks in. This type of physical bond happens when electrons from the gecko hair molecules and electrons from the wall molecules interact with each other and create an electromagnetic attraction. It is thought that if ALL the spatulae present on a geko's feet could be simultaneously engaged, they could support up to 290 lbs. That's why geckoes can skitter up smooth walls and even traverse ceilings-as long as they aren't Teflon coated, lol. The US Military is trying to use this info to create gecko gloves that will allow soldiers to climb walls. Look out, Spiderman, Geckoman is coming. YT Gecko info: https://youtu.be/7ySPl_WVgvc
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