Worse, the chemical instability of the glue means such cells tend to break down rapidly.

ECONOMIST: Monitor

The lignin acts as a glue, binding the cellulose fibres together, so an enormous amount of chemical and mechanical effort has to be expended on removing it.

ECONOMIST: GM trees are on their way

To examine the relationship between the newly discovered goo and barnacle glue, Dr Vollrath's colleagues, Katrin Kronenberger and Cedric Dicko, took a look at the chemical composition of both.

ECONOMIST: A species of crustacean makes silk underwater