No suction cups, no Velcro, no glue. Geckos navigate nearly any surface with something far
cooler: an electron dance at the atomic scale.

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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!

https://issuu.com/eggermont/docs/zqis...

---+ 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:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/69y399u22uj...

---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science:

https://www.kqed.org/science/1982729/...

---+ More Great Deep Look episodes:

Snakes Smell in Stereo | Deep Look
   • The Twisted Truth About Snake Tongues...  

Watch Barn Owls Swallow Rodents Whole | Deep Look
   • Watch Barn Owls Swallow Rodents Whole...  

Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life Raft to Survive Floods | Deep Look
   • Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life R...  


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


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