Stickiness. We know it when we see it — or when we feel it under our feet at the movie theater. But what is stickiness, scientifically speaking?

How do geckos climb? Why don’t Post-it Notes ruin our books?

This hour, we talk to scientist Laurie Winkless about her book, Sticky, and figure out what holds it all together.

GUESTS:

• Laurie Winkless: A science writer and physicist and the author of Sticky: The Secret Science of the Surfaces
• Dr. Alyssa Stark: A professor at Villanova University; she runs a lab that studies biological adhesion
• Will Coldwell: A freelance writer; he published “Bursting the Bubble: How Gum Lost Its Cool” in The Economist

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Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show, which originally aired February 17, 2022.

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