The University of North Carolina at Charlotte received a $672,817 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation Division of Integrative Organismal Systems. The grant was awarded under the Biological Sciences federal grant program (CFDA 47.074) to support research titled "Collaborative Research: Genetics and Biomechanics of Non-Newtonian Prey Capture Adhesives Across Panarthropoda" from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2025.
The research aims to advance understanding of the major biological and physical principles underlying the evolution and function of specialized adhesive systems used by diverse arthropod lineages for prey capture. Insights gained from this collaborative research across biological disciplines are intended to strengthen the nation's biological science enterprise by increasing scientific knowledge of adhesion at the microscale, with potential applications inspired by nature.