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Grasping mussel stick-to-itiveness ; Glue: Purdue researchers claim the creatures extract iron from seawater to create their amazing staying power.; MEDICINE & SCIENCE
[FINAL Edition]
The Sun - Baltimore, Md.
Author: Dennis O'Brien
Date: Feb 2, 2004
Start Page: 8.A
Section: TELEGRAPH
Text Word Count: 689
 Abstract (Document Summary)

Researchers at Purdue University say they might have figured out the mussels' secret: They extract iron from seawater to create their glue. The results could help scientists create new superglues and develop nontoxic paints to rid ship bottoms of barnacles and other pests.

Jonathan Wilker, a 34-year-old chemistry professor and lead author, said he got the idea for the study while scuba diving off New England and Southern California before he came to landlocked Purdue four years ago. He showed that mussel glue is sticky enough to hold onto everything from a ship in a storm-tossed sea to a glass plate to a Teflon pan.

Photo(s); In a Purdue experiment, a common blue mussel continues to hang tough after clinging to a Teflon surface for several hours.; Credit: JONATHAN WILKER : PURDUE UNIVERSITY

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