Sentence examples for setae from inspiring English sources

The maximum adhesive force that could be exerted by a single seta had already been estimated, by measuring the total force exerted by a foot and dividing by the number of setae (around 5,000 per square millimetre).

Thousands of these hairs, called setae, are arrayed like the bristles of a toothbrush across a gecko's toes.

These findings suggest that setae operate at a molecular level, and exploit intra-molecular forces, called van der Waals forces, for their stickiness.But if geckos can stick to surfaces so strongly, how do they detach their feet again?

The researchers found that setae reliably detach from the surface at an angle of about 30°.Most animals use far simpler mechanisms.

Setae are absent.

Presumably, these setae are responsive to touch.

But what makes them so sticky is unclear.Microscopy reveals that the tip of each seta is divided into hundreds of tiny "spatulae", each pointing in a different direction and tipped with a cone-shaped structure.

But to their surprise, the researchers found that a single seta can actually exert ten times as much force as this.

A single seta will adhere most strongly if the spatulae are pointing towards the surface.

And a seta will stick to a surface most firmly if it is first pushed into the surface and then pulled along it by a few millionths of a metre.

Their results are published in this week's Nature.Using a tiny micro-electro-mechanical force sensor, they conducted various experiments to measure the stickiness of a single seta.