Wednesday, June 08, 2011

sticky stuff

My long essay review of the monograph

Biological Adhesive Systems: From nature to technical applications
By Janek von Byern, Ingo Grunwald (eds.)


is in this week's issue of Chemistry & Industry (No. 11), page 27. It's premium content, I'm afraid, so only the lucky few with a subscription or institutional access can read it online here. For the rest of us, here's a snippet describing the most entertaining part of the book:

The prize for the most accessible chapter goes to the Australian frogs of the genus Notaden. Apparently these creatures are so well-rounded that they can’t cling on to each other with their short limbs during mating. Which is why they need glue, literally, in order to stick together while they are exchanging body liquids. The author tested the adhesive power of the frog secretions by sticking two full, cold and humid beer cans together, lengthwise in one experiment and bottom to top in another.


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