A surgical device inspired by parasitic wasps could make it easier and less painful to remove certain tumours and blood clots.
Parasitic wasps inject their eggs through a long, thin, tubular organ called an ovipositor into living hosts, such as spiders and caterpillars. The organ’s blade-like valves, which run the full length of the tube, slide up and down alternately, pushing the eggs into the wasp’s victims using friction.