Chemists Crack Secrets of Mussels' Super Glue

Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers from Purdue University working under an award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) have discovered that common blue mussels are using iron found in seawater to create their own super glue. "In addition to using the knowledge to develop safer alternatives for surgical and household glues, the researchers are looking at how to combat the glue to prevent damage to shipping vessels and the accidental transport of invasive species, such as the zebra mussel that has ravaged the midwestern United States." This overview contains more details and references about this discovery. You'll also find an image of mussel glue at a magnification of 25,000X and one of a mussel adhering to a sheet of Teflon."

Scary cleaning cycle..

Next time they try cleaning those mussels off a large ship, the ship desintegrates too. Same glue, sorry...

thank god

Get these things off of me!

Too bad for the mussels

Superglue or not, here in Belgium and The Netherlands millions of mussels are eaten every year ;-)

mussels yummy!

"Stick to your ribs" suddenly has a whole new meaning...

american pie 2

i wouldent want to get my hand stuck with that, anywhere, never mind there....

Kinda answers that question...

What sticks to Teflon?
Mussels!

Bah, there was a punchline in there somewhere, but I think I missed it.

Re:Kinda answers that question...

What sticks to Teflon?

er... the frying pan.

Re:Kinda answers that question...

So, er... frying pans... are made of... mussels?

Re:Kinda answers that question...

Hence she's a witch! Burn her!

So the next time

So, the next time a lamp breaks or something, I'll just go fetch a mussel and fix it with that. Cheap and easy! Just don't tell PETA.

Teflon?

Since when was Teflon that leader of anti-stick materials? Put them on some salt, then we'll see who is better!

Blogzine [blogzine.net]

Muscle Glue

I grew up with "Super Glue", does this mean that the next generation will grow up with "Muscle Glue"?

Will Muscle Glue remover cause the iron to oxidize and rust away thereby breaking apart the protein strands? Inquiring minds want to know.

That depends

On the oxidation state of the iron molecules. The glue dissolver might have to reduce the iron in order to break the bond. Iron is commonly found in the Fe2+ and Fe3+ oxidation states. If the iron molecules are in the Fe2+ state, then you would be correct.

There's a couple of easy mnemonics to remember the general RedOx rules:

OLEGON (Oxidation is Loss of Electrons and Gain in Oxidation Number)
or
LEO says GER (Loss of Electrons is Oxidation, Gain of Electrons is Reduction).

There's probably others, but basic chemistry was a looong time ago for me...

Hey!

and one of a mussel adhering to a sheet of Teflon.

That's my dinner!

Why ?

If you reduce the water amount in saliva of the mongolian veld goat then you get stuff with nearly the same properties. The goats need this to be able to eat the cacti in the desert.
However this is known to some time now and nobody seems to care or even to use it.

Re:Why ?

Hey buddy, what you do with mongolian veld goats on your time is your business.

Combine some mussel superglue with some bioluminescent squid [radio.cbc.ca] (ogg file) and you've got yourself a mean underwater flashlight, though.

Re:Why ?

However this is known to some time now and nobody seems to care or even to use it. -- Proud owner of a Mensa membership card.

Did you buy this card from eBay, or does Mensa not have an English section on their entrance exams?

Hamster

More links for the chemistry inclined

This area of research is similar to what I did as a chemistry post graduate.

After a bit of googling, I found the researcher's home page:
http://www.chem.purdue.edu/Faculty/wilker.h tm

I also found the page for his research group. Linked from it, was a more detailed description of the chemistry involved:
http://www.chem.purdue.edu/wilker/adhes ives.htm

Unfortunately, while I could find a number of links to actual publications in peer-reviewed chemistry journals, all where subscription sites.

"Super Glue" is misleading

When you say "super glue", most people here think of Superglue(tm), which is cyanoacrylate adhesive, not mollusk snot. Couldn't a different phrasing have been used?

Re:"Super Glue" is misleading

When you say "super glue", most people here think of Superglue(tm), which is cyanoacrylate adhesive, not mollusk snot.

I think I might have found my new .sig.

so what?

I guess because "mussel glues present the first identified case in which transition metals are essential to the formation of a non crystalline biological material" it is interesting science... but why whoud we care?...
I hate these press releases that don't give any specifics (e.g., strength in MPa) nor do they provide larger picture of why would we care...
oh, well, good for mussels any way... they are tasty...

More permanence may not be best

You know, with this development, and all the recent talk about gecko super-tape being developed... it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. We're developing products that make structures, installations etc. more and more permanent.

We all talk about expanding recycling programs, and cutting down on fossil fuels, but then build structures that have such highly developed components, they can never be re-used or perhaps even dismantled (without disintegration, probably releasing even more agents into the biosphere).

Now don't get me wrong, with the right regulation and foresight, these kind of developments can be true breakthroughs. But forging ahead without considering whether an invention can be dismantled or reduced to its original components is not good engineering these days.

But hell, my field is ancient history, what do I know...

Re:More permanence may not be best

You have to consider what you mean by permanent:

A protein based glue that sticks to everything but is biodegradable, or a polymer based one that doesn't stick as good and lasts until the sun goes nova.

Re:More permanence may not be best

You know, with this development, and all the recent talk about gecko super-tape being developed... it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. We're developing products that make structures, installations etc. more and more permanent.

If we used a glue that was similar to an existing organic substance it most likely would be more recyclable than the current acrylics and cyanoacrilates and such; hopefully production would produce less toxic waste, though I doubt they'll be milkng mussels for it. Conversely, making more durable products reduces obsolescence so ideally less is discarded.

Permanence, but only for a while

If I understand correctly, the ultimate goal of these studies is materials capable of "transient permanence". We could have a glue that would hold indefinitely, but releases its grip when you add a particular molecule that unties the connections. Or gecko tape that sticks with amazing tenacity, until an electric field is applied to the tape, causing the microscopic gripping "feet" to release. Or even plastics that don't exude organic volatiles, that are sturdy but can be converted to a recastable form upon command.

Industry has already made superstable substances (like dioxins or CFCs), but by looking to biology for inspiration, we may be able to make substances whose long-term stability will reduce waste, while allowing a graceful dismantling when their usefulness has been outlived.

Re:More permanence may not be best

You obviously didn't read my "don't get me wrong" paragraph. There is such a thing as sustainable development, but we tend to learn how to do a thing much quicker than how to do it safely. I'm not saying we shouldn't develop these kinds of technologies, but simply that we need to fully consider the ramifications of such permanent ideas on future generations.

Or are you more of a living in the now kind of guy?

DMCA

Isn't this a violation of nature's rights? Greenpeace should sue them based on DMCA!

old news

This was discovered by Sander Haemes 3 years ago [tudelft.nl].

synthesis is a sticky situation

actually, research has been conducted on mussels like these for at least the past 15 years. scientists were having horrible trouble producing this adhesive on their own, and could only get something remotely close by crushing thousands of mussels and extracting the adhesive from them, and still the glue would wear off sooner than expected.
the discovery that iron contributes to the chemical structure will perhaps expedite the process of simulation and production, but there's still a long way to go. as technologically advanced as we are, we know hardly anything about how to build things on a molecular level, and even if we finally observe the chemical makeup of this glue, i believe production technology will be holding back synthesis.

Zebra mussel info page

More information about the zebra mussel can be found here:

The Zebra Mussel Page [wayne.edu]

The slide show link is informative. To quote: "Zebra mussels are a pest organism because they not only attach to one another, but also to man-made objects, including water intakes and other plumbing of water, power, and other companies that use fresh water. [snip] Zebra mussels also attach to other organisms, such as these native (North American) mussels from Lake Erie. Heavy loads of zebra mussels have killed essentially all native Unionid mussels in western Lake Erie, an early site of the zebra mussel invasion. Zebra mussels first appeared in Lake St. Clair (yellow star, north of Lake Erie), possibly from ship's ballast water from the Black Sea region. They rapidly spread downstream with the current, and upstream and to other watersheds on boats, with bait, and by other man-mediated mechanisms."

The National Atlas website has a nice Shockwave animation illustrating the invasion between 1988 and 1999:

Animated Map Showing Zebra Mussel Distribution [nationalatlas.gov]

OK, But....

Will "mussel glue" fix broke eye glasses?

More glues in the news

Glue in the News [thistothat.com]

I love his lab team...

apparently, mussel research is not an equal opportunity employer ;)

Can't wait for Mussel Man!

I can't wait for a new superhero: Mussel Man
He has the power of muscle and glue.
Take that Spiderman!

Huffing?

But does anything happen when you huff muscle glue?

"ravaged"?

Now I have this image of vast hordes of zebra mussels stampeding across the midwestern plains....

Or are those zebras?

Re:"ravaged"?

I had to live on the shore of Green Bay during the zebra mussel invasion. Billions upon billions died and washed ashore. The stench was unbelievable, and the shells formed dunes ranging from 3 to 8 feet, 60 feet out into where the water used to be, as far as you could see up and down the shoreline.

And the little buggers are so sharp. You can't swim anymore, when you feet touch bottom the mussels cut you. It's exactly like dozens of paper cuts on the soles of your feet.

I hope they don't counteract this glue....

...because the last thing we all need is to have weak mussels...

..rimshot..

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here forever...

Great, now all we need ...

... is someone to produce a super-mussel in its own shimmering vat, just pumping the stuff out for us to make our own spacecraft hulls with.

Should be easy.

What would be interesting is a genetically mutated mussel for ships which a) roams around sealing cracks, and b) kills all other non super-mussel mussels from the hull.

Maybe a super ship fixing mussel with frickin' lazers on its valves? That'd rock.

But anyway, I'm serious about the shipfixing idea. Why can't we work -with- nature instead of against it all the time, why oh why?

Overview?

"This overview contains more details and references about this discovery."

Wouldnt an overview have less details? :)

Even sticks to Teflon.. eh?

Did they try T-Fal? Maybe they should spray some Pam.

Prof Wilker - SCORE!

Lessee, handsome young professor, with EIGHT grad students. All coincidentally female and good looking. What are the odds of THAT? Spend a lot of time in the lab, do ya, Doc?

http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/04/images/theteam .j pg

I'm going to let everyone ELSE make the jokes, thanks.

Re:Prof Wilker - SCORE!

Just goes to show that chicks dig guys with mussels....

*rim-shot*

Oh well, I'm known for my awful puns, so I guess this just adds to my rep!

If only

If only we can figure out a way to sneak some of this stuff into Darl McBride's mouth.

NSFW?

Did anyone else see the link in the overview page entitled "NSF page" and hope for some nudy mussel pics?

No? ... /shuffles back to fark

Wow

such as the zebra mussel that has ravaged the midwestern United States.

Those zebra mussels must be pretty badass to be growing in Nebraska cornfields.



(yes, I know zebra mussels are a problem for inland freshwater bodies. The joke is still funny. Thank you.)

A sheet of Teflon?

Whoopdedoo. When they get a guy to stick a mussel on his hat and use it to hang from a steel girder high over the city, then I'll be impressed.

3n 355 3ff

NSF? You mean the National Secessionist Forces? I have a feeling that they didn't discover this for themselves, they probably just hijacked a shipment from UNATCO.

Teflon? That's easy. Try the MS EULA

Teflon? No problem-o. Try getting anything to stick to the MS WinXP EULA [microsoft.com].

... ahwell, dere goes me karma den.

surgical and household glues

Super glue is used to glue the eyelash closed after eye surgery. It's packaged as "surgery" glue, but it's the exact same thing as common household super glue.

Check out his lab team

His lab team is all female except for him. It's pretty weird, but a couple of them are fairly attractive.

Girls! [nsf.gov]

Saw this presented...

...at an ASC [ascouncil.org] conference a year or so ago. Very well put-together presentation - I didn't read the article (yay typical /. behavior), so I'm going by my memory of the talk and slides

As I recall, the fella from Purdue had mentioned that the primary interest they were pursuing was to try and exploit the technology for a medical/surgical adhesive, but that a firm understanding of the chemical mechanism could be worth quite a bit to the US Navy, since estimates put fuel waste and inefficiency (due to increased drag on ships because of the molluscs attached to the hull) runs into the billions...

(As a funny aside, this guy was probably the only talk at the conference that really got people interested. There's only so much excitement to be had in glue. :P )

...and still no cure for cancer

*sigh*

transition metals are essential to the formation..

"Mussel glues present the first identified case in which transition metals are essential to the formation of a non crystalline biological material," says NSF CAREER awardee Jonathan Wilker of Purdue University.

I'm no NSF CAREER awardee, but a mere Chemical Engineering drop out, but I can name hemoglobine, which is not crystaline (commonly used in solution), _needs_ iron, and is quite useful for life

Fe is not part of final glue

From the research page http://www.chem.purdue.edu/wilker/adhesives.htm [purdue.edu] It would appear the the iron is only involved in stabilizing the transition state responsible for crosslinking the Dopaquinone monomers. The final glue appears to be iron free. Does anyone have a better mechanism referernce?

Teflon

I wonder if this study could also lead into the devlopment of a better Teflon.

wbs.

Uh, guys?

How the hell do you package such glue for sale?

Talk about child-proof caps...

Awesome

Go Boilers! :-D

About time they did something with all that research money the new pres. raised...; )

Biomicmicry

Janine M. Benyus in her book Biomimicry : Innovation Inspired by Nature [amazon.com] deals with the subject of mussells superglue and a host of others. It's a good read as a general intro to the work being done to derive new products and methodologies from mimicing nature.

All your mussels ...

All your mussels are belong to us.

This work is 100% derivative.

This work was done in 1996 by Herb Waite. He not only did the same work, he did it in a superior manner, with more definitive proof. And he not only POSTULATED the Fe(III) mediated crosslinking, he proved it. The appropriate reference is:

"Ferric Ion Complexes of a DOPA-Containing Adhesive Protein from Mytilus edulis", Inorg. Chem., 35 (1996), p7572

In other words, don't get your science from popular news outlets... and apparently one can't even trust Angewandte Chemie anymore. Their reviewer must have been out to lunch.

Re:So...

The topic says:
"In addition to using the knowledge to develop safer alternatives for surgical and household glues, the researchers are looking at how to combat the glue to prevent damage to shipping vessels and the accidental transport of invasive species, such as the zebra mussel that has ravaged the midwestern United States."

You didn't even have to RTFA!

Re:So...

you cannot fill your teeth with superglue, I tried but it failed. Research has been going on use this glue in dentistry, if it sticks to every surface it might stick to your teeth.

Re:WGAR!?!?

Here's a practical application

Step 1) Discover secret of Mussel Glue-like substance

Step 2) ????????????????/

Step 3) Profit