Ancient geckos
It鈥檚 so simple a caveman could do it? How about: It鈥檚 so simple a prehistoric gecko could do it?
Scientists at Oregon State University in Corvallis and London鈥檚 Natural History Museum report finding the oldest gecko yet 鈥� a 100-million-year-old specimen trapped in amber. The specimen, found in present day Burma (Myanmar), represents a new genus and species, which the researchers have named Cretaceogekko. Geckos are famous for their sticky toe pads, which allow the chirping lizards to scamper across ceilings in their hunt for bugs. The amber-encased specimen was incomplete 鈥� only the foot, toes, and part of a tail testifying to the lizard鈥檚 place in the food chain. But the researchers say its toe pads, covered in sticky hairs, are plainly visible. Based on the number of hairs, the team reckons that the gecko was a youngster that might have grown to 12 inches long as a adult.
The lizard鈥檚 super-sticky feet have so far defied scientists and engineers鈥� attempts to make fully functioning artificial versions. The find suggests that nature had at least a 100-million-year head start on perfecting the 鈥渢echnology.鈥� The results appear in the current issue of the journal Zootaxa.
