The adhesive that the researchers used in this study is made from cross-linked polymers called hydrogels, and is similar to a surgical tape they previously developed to help seal internal wounds.

This new hydrogel system employs visible light—safe for the human body—to facilitate cross-linking, where the main components of the hydrogel bond and harden, and to simultaneously boost ...

The resulting gluey hydrogel could have biomedical applications ... which oozes through the gastropod’s foot and acts as an adhesive—is what keeps it from being washed away by ocean waves ...