Abstract

We all recognize goo when we see it. It turns up in many places and guises from food to playthings, from frogspawn to medical ointments. But what makes a good ‘goo’ and can we control the ‘gooiness’? There are many words to describe the consistency of these materials ranging from runny to viscous, sticky and spreadable. I will describe the kinds of molecules that can be used to make these materials, why they have the effect they have, and how understanding them can be powerful for creating new medical treatments, help to understand why shampoos don’t simply roll off our hair and down the drain and control the way we appreciate food as we eat it. And all this lies in the domain of the physicist!