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    Feathers: Better than Velcro?

    January 18, 2019, Categories  Physics, Astronomy/Space, Biology/Biotechnology

    You may have seen a kid play with a feather, or you may have played with one yourself: Running a hand along a feather’s barbs and watching as the feather unzips and zips, seeming to miraculously pull itself back together. That “magical” zipping mechanism could provide a model for new adhesives and new aerospace materials, according to engineers at the University of California San Diego.
    Credit: University of California San Diego

    Engineers detail bird feather properties that could lead to better adhesives (and aerospace materials). You may have seen a kid play with a feather, or you may have played with one yourself: Running a hand along a feather’s barbs and watching as the feather unzips and zips, seeming to miraculously pull itself back together.

    That “magical” zipping mechanism coul...

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