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Mosquitoes' stabby suckers may find use in high-res 3D printers (newatlas.com)

submitted 1 day ago by BrikoX@lemmy.zip to c/technology@lemmy.zip

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In order to 3D-print really intricate items, you need a really fine print nozzle. Scientists have discovered that instead of going to the time and trouble of building one, you can simply repurpose a mosquito's existing blood-sucking proboscis.

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[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

For their study, the researchers obtained euthanized laboratory-reared female Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, stored them in a freezer, then dipped them in a solution of 80% ethanol to sterilize them.

Next, the soft protective outer sheath of each insect's proboscis was detached and discarded. An ultraviolet-curable resin was then applied to the now-exposed rigid section of the proboscis, and hardened by exposure to UV light. The resin-coated proboscis was then cut off of the mosquito's body with a razor blade, forming a nice little rigid tube.

I can't see this process scaling very well.

[–] lemmeLurk@lemmy.zip 2 points 16 hours ago

The question is, if it has to. If it's a nie he product this might be cheaper than inventing something