 You know those thin hairs you sometimes see on muscles? Those beards are actually essential to the muscle's survival. And soon they may help doctors help babies survive. Muscles always cling to a strong, stable surface, which helps them avoid predators. So they produce a very sticky liquid, a combination of proteins that they mold into those hairs. The muscle's foot does the work. When it emerges from the shell, grabs onto a surface sort of like a plunger would. It's the foot that secretes this thin strand of liquid protein, called a Bissell thread. Once the thread latches onto something, within a couple minutes it hardens into a strong yet flexible anchor. Then the foot retracts, leaving the thread stuck to the surface. A muscle will make dozens of these threads, as many as it needs to hold on tight. UC Berkeley researchers are studying muscles to try to create a substance with similar properties. Sticky, strong, and pliable when wet. This kind of adhesive could be especially useful for surgery on unborn babies. Surgeons make an incision in the thin amniotic sac, but there's no reliable way to make sure the incision fully closes. It's hit or miss, with a higher chance of premature births. The scientists have created their own synthetic materials to use as surgical glue. They're testing them on organic tissues like the thin membrane inside eggshells, and pieces of chicken skin, looking at how well they stick under wet conditions, how fast they harden, and how well they'll hold. Taking inspiration from the muscle and its unique wet glue may be just what the doctor ordered. So what do you think of muscles now? Comment below.