Surgery: Tool inspired by parasitic wasp's egg-laying organ could operate on tumours and blood clots

An ultra-thin surgical tool designed with inspiration from the egg-laying organ of parasitic wasps could be used to help operate on tumours and blood clots. Researchers from the Netherlands based their prototype on the ovipositor -- a long needle-like tube that protrudes from the rear of some wasps. The parasitic insects use their ovipositor to inject eggs into the bodies, eggs and boreholes of its hosts. The organ can also drill through wood and paralyse. The surgical device, however, will be less gruesome -- instead using the same segmented design to extract tissue samples during minimally invasive surgery.