Physics Buzz

Tommy Caldwell (second from left) and Kevin Jorgeson (fourth from left) celebrating their climb of Dawn Wall yesterday afternoon. Credit: Peter Stevens via flickr Yesterday afternoon in Yosemite National Park, rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson made history by completing the first free ascent of Dawn Wall,  reputed to be the hardest climb in the world . Caldwell and Jorgeson owe their success to their remarkable perseverance, strength, technique, and also to three key bits of physics keeping them alive.

" ... it doesn't feel like you should be gripping glass. You keep expecting to slip off, and when you don't, it surprises you. It's pretty exhilarating. " — Elliot Hawkes Humans have a long (and fascinating) history of climbing, and the history of climbing-specific gear is nearly as long. Ropes, harnesses, pitons, and ascenders all help climbers safely reach new vertical heights. Now there's a new technology on the block. A team of Stanford engineers and physicists has created a gecko-inspired climbing apparatus that gives humans the ability to climb glass walls like never before. Stanford engineer, Elliot Hawkes, climbs a smooth wall using gecko-inspired pads. Credit: Reproduced with permission from  Hawkes et. al. 2014 .