The attachment of marine mussels to submerged solid surfaces has been the focus of numerous studies over the last twenty years, motivated both by fouling concerns and the technical limitations of adhesion in the presence of moisture, salt, corrosion, and biofilms. Several recent reviews with different perspectives have appeared on this subject.^1–3  Mussel attachment is mediated by a byssus, a peculiar brush-like holdfast that consists of hundreds of disc tipped threads made one thread at a time (Figure 9.1). Byssal attachment provides stability and, in the turbulent intertidal zone, an attribute of even greater survival value –...