CHAPTER 1 ANIMAL-INSPIRED GLUE Scientists are inventing new medical technology They are interested in biomimicry Biomimicry is the science of copying nature to solve human problems For example one invention was inspired by the gecko This sticky-footed lizard can climb walls and ceilings It has tiny hairs on its feet that help it cling to surfaces Geckos can scale smooth vertical surfaces 5
6 Scientists wanted to make an invention that could do the same In 2008 one scientist invented a new type of surgical tape The tape's surface is similar to a gecko's feet The tape can help people who are injured It THE GECKO FOOT The hairs on a gecko's foot are flexible They bend in order to make close contact with surfaces Gecko's foot Setae gecko's foot hair Surface
bonds patients wounds The tape holds the wounds together so they can heal Afterward the tape comes off with ease One year later the creator of the tape received a letter from a doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital The doctor worked with patients who had heart defects He was struggling to seal holes in his patients hearts He needed glue stronger than the gecko tape Inventing this type of glue would be a challenge The human heart is soaked with blood It also moves forcefully as it pumps But the scientist who received the letter was determined Before long he learned about the sandcastle worm 7
