Chemists Crack Secrets of Mussels' Super Glue

Chemists Crack Secrets of Mussels' Super Glue 197

Posted by Hemos on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:15AM from the your-secrets-revealed dept.

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."

Chemists Crack Secrets of Mussels' Super Glue

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Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)

by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:17AM (#7952220)

Comment removed based on user account deletion

thank god (Score:2, Funny)

by Joe the Lesser ( 533425 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:17AM (#7952222) Homepage Journal

Get these things off of me!

american pie 2 (Score:3, Funny)

by lotas ( 177970 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:17AM (#7952227) Homepage Journal

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

Kinda answers that question... (Score:5, Funny)

by da3dAlus ( 20553 ) writes: <dustin.grauNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:18AM (#7952230) Homepage Journal

What sticks to Teflon?
Mussels!

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

So the next time (Score:5, Funny)

by Tebriel ( 192168 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:18AM (#7952232)

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? (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:19AM (#7952240)

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 (Score:3, Funny)

by JRHelgeson ( 576325 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:20AM (#7952250) Homepage Journal

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.

Hey! (Score:5, Funny)

by twoslice ( 457793 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:20AM (#7952251)

and one of a mussel adhering to a sheet of Teflon.
That's my dinner!

mussels yummy! (Score:5, Funny)

by tuxette ( 731067 ) * writes: <tuxette.gmail@com> on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:20AM (#7952252) Homepage Journal

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

"Super Glue" is misleading (Score:5, Funny)

by krog ( 25663 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:21AM (#7952271) Homepage

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?

DMCA (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:23AM (#7952287)

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

More glues in the news (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:28AM (#7952353)

Glue in the News [thistothat.com]

Re:Kinda answers that question... (Score:5, Funny)

by Frymaster ( 171343 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:28AM (#7952356) Homepage Journal

What sticks to Teflon?
er... the frying pan.

Huffing? (Score:2, Funny)

by metallikop ( 649953 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:29AM (#7952363)

But does anything happen when you huff muscle glue?

I thought the answer to that was... (Score:3, Funny)

by Phekko ( 619272 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:30AM (#7952374)

...my cooking.

There must be different kinds of mussel glues, though, as some mussels really DO taste like glue...

Re:Kinda answers that question... (Score:5, Funny)

by cmpalmer ( 234347 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:40AM (#7952473) Homepage

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

Re:"Super Glue" is misleading (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:41AM (#7952482)

Mollusk snot. I like it. Let's call it that from now on.

Re:"Super Glue" is misleading (Score:4, Funny)

by revscat ( 35618 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:52AM (#7952588) Journal

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.

Overview? (Score:2, Funny)

by FesterDaFelcher ( 651853 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:52AM (#7952592)

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

Wouldnt an overview have less details? :)

Re:Kinda answers that question... (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:53AM (#7952599)

Hence she's a witch! Burn her!

Re:Why ? (Score:5, Funny)

by Guano_Jim ( 157555 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:54AM (#7952612)

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.

Prof Wilker - SCORE! (Score:5, Funny)

by argStyopa ( 232550 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @11:57AM (#7952643) Journal

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! (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @12:04PM (#7952722)

"handsome young professor"?

"female and good looking"?

Are we looking at the same photo? What I saw there was the January issue of the Ugly Parade!

If only (Score:3, Funny)

by Pragmatix ( 688158 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @12:05PM (#7952728)

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

Re:Prof Wilker - SCORE! (Score:5, Funny)

by Bigman ( 12384 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @12:07PM (#7952754) Homepage Journal

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!

NSFW? (Score:2, Funny)

by ChilliNuts ( 718413 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @12:20PM (#7952950)

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 (Score:4, Funny)

by lone_marauder ( 642787 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @12:25PM (#7953001)

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? (Score:4, Funny)

by sharkey ( 16670 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @12:35PM (#7953108)

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 (Score:2, Funny)

by Deraj DeZine ( 726641 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @12:41PM (#7953177)

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.

Re:Great, now all we need ... (Score:3, Funny)

by Boing ( 111813 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @12:43PM (#7953203)

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.

Oh, great. Some ship with one of these on it sinks, and suddenly the tectonic plate boundaries are sealed. Then what're we gonna do, huh?
Hmmm, on second thought, no more earthquakes or volcanos or tidal waves doesn't seem like such a bad thing...

Teflon? That's easy. Try the MS EULA (Score:4, Funny)

by mnemotronic ( 586021 ) writes: <mnemotronic@@@gmail...com> on Monday January 12, 2004 @12:57PM (#7953368) Homepage Journal

Teflon? No problem-o. Try getting anything to stick to the MS WinXP EULA [microsoft.com].
... ahwell, dere goes me karma den.

Re:Why ? (Score:5, Funny)

by hamsterboy ( 218246 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @01:03PM (#7953433)

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

Mr. Mensa, you need to learn to spell. (Score:3, Funny)

by quasipunk guy ( 88280 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @01:42PM (#7953840)

hampster [reference.com] versus hamster [reference.com].

Oh shit, you're dumb!

Re:More permanence may not be best (Score:2, Funny)

by red floyd ( 220712 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @02:00PM (#7954031)

Kill all the geckos and mussels!

The geckos, anyways! I absolutely hate those bloody insurance commercials!

Re:WGAR!?!? (Score:1, Funny)

by dameon ( 72340 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @02:34PM (#7954374)

Here's a practical application

Step 1) Discover secret of Mussel Glue-like substance

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

Step 3) Profit

Re:So... (Score:2, Funny)

by damien_kane ( 519267 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @03:04PM (#7954683)

So remind me again why we are looking for some magic glue that will stick to our teeth? People have known for years that spinach will stick to your teeth, and most people try very hard to avoid that, as it's somewhat unsettling to many...

Teflon (Score:3, Funny)

by wideBlueSkies ( 618979 ) writes: on Monday January 12, 2004 @04:22PM (#7955506) Journal

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

wbs.

There may be more comments in this discussion. Without JavaScript enabled, you might want to turn on Classic Discussion System in your preferences instead.

Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)

thank god (Score:2, Funny)

american pie 2 (Score:3, Funny)

Kinda answers that question... (Score:5, Funny)

So the next time (Score:5, Funny)

Teflon? (Score:1, Funny)

Muscle Glue (Score:3, Funny)

Hey! (Score:5, Funny)

mussels yummy! (Score:5, Funny)

"Super Glue" is misleading (Score:5, Funny)

DMCA (Score:1, Funny)

More glues in the news (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Kinda answers that question... (Score:5, Funny)

Huffing? (Score:2, Funny)

I thought the answer to that was... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Kinda answers that question... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:"Super Glue" is misleading (Score:2, Funny)

Re:"Super Glue" is misleading (Score:4, Funny)

Overview? (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Kinda answers that question... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Why ? (Score:5, Funny)

Prof Wilker - SCORE! (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Prof Wilker - SCORE! (Score:1, Funny)

If only (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Prof Wilker - SCORE! (Score:5, Funny)

NSFW? (Score:2, Funny)

Wow (Score:4, Funny)

A sheet of Teflon? (Score:4, Funny)

3n 355 3ff (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Great, now all we need ... (Score:3, Funny)

Teflon? That's easy. Try the MS EULA (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Why ? (Score:5, Funny)

Mr. Mensa, you need to learn to spell. (Score:3, Funny)

Re:More permanence may not be best (Score:2, Funny)

Re:WGAR!?!? (Score:1, Funny)

Re:So... (Score:2, Funny)

Teflon (Score:3, Funny)

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