Clingfish's Super Strong Grip Could Inspire Better Adhesives

Northern clingfish (Gobiesox maeandricus). Image courtesy of loarie/Flickr You know that pesky soap holder whose suction cup never stays attached to the shower wall? Scientists may now have a solution: mimic the clingfish. These fish live in the intertidal zone---the area at the ocean's edge where waves are constantly crashing against algae-covered rocks. Despite strong currents and even stronger waves, clingfish survive here by using the mechanism that earned them their name: they cling to the rocks with an adhesive disc on their abdomens that is unhindered by rough, slippery or wet surfaces. With this grip engaged, the fish can prey on mollusks attached to the rocks. We're talking an unstoppable suction that is also fast and reversible. Researchers wanted to see exactly how the suction cup of a clingfish works, and how it compares to commercial versions, so they pitted 22 clingfish against eight different sizes of suction cups, ...