These original Kirt's Cogitations™ may be reproduced (no more than 5, please) provided proper credit is given to me, Kirt Blattenberger.

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   Cog·i·ta·tion [koj-i-tey'-shun] – noun: Concerted thought or reflection; meditation; contemplation.
   Kirt [kert] – proper noun: RF Cafe webmaster.

My Mussel Glue Can Beats Your Gorilla Glue

From the glands of its slug-like foot, a mussel secretes a glue that in less than five minutes - under water - hardens into a filament, or byssal thread, that will attach it for life to an intertidal rock. Mussel glue can resist forces of 1000 lbs/in². That's better than a barnacle. "There's no manmade glue that can do that underwater," says marine biologist Herbert Waite. Using Blue Mussels in his research, Waite is on the verge of creating the first synthetic mussel-like glue. It's all in the polymer cross-linking. Applications include surgery on hard and soft tissues, marine vessel repair, and dentistry. This is "disruptive technology" in the world of adhesives.