How do stickers stick?

Stickers are everywhere. They label our groceries, cover our car bumpers, and decorate our notebooks. But how do they stick? We’ll zoom in on a sticker to see how a special glue helps a sticker cling to a surface. Plus, we’ll hear about stickers that can help people heal from surgeries. We’ll also find out what kind of stickers Bob collects, and guess a new Mystery Sound. Guest: Phillip Messersmith, professor of material science and engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Want to support Brains On and all of the shows in the Brains On Universe? Sign up for Smarty Pass. You'll get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus content, virtual hangouts, discounts on merch and more! Click here for a transcript of this episode.

You can listen to How do stickers stick? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

How do stickers stick? is an episode from Brains On! Science podcast for kids by Lemonada Media.

This episode is 27:38 long.

This episode was published on Jan 27, 2026.

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