How an insect might change how surgeons operate on the human body
What modern medicine can learn from the humble sawfly
- Scientists at Heriot-Watt University have made a "remarkable" discovery concerning a wasp-like insect's plant-cutting mechanism, which could revolutionise modern surgical techniques.
- The female sawfly's egg-laying organ, known as an ovipositor, functions as a biological reciprocating saw, instinctively discerning when to cut and when to displace material.
- This mechanism allows the sawfly to make precise incisions in plant tissue while automatically avoiding the plant's tough internal "plumbing", ensuring the host plant's survival.
- Researchers scaled up the sawfly's cutting mechanism 400 times and found it operated on a similar "ultimate stress threshold" when tested on material mimicking human tissue.
- This passive, selective cutting action could lead to surgical instruments that instinctively avoid critical tissues, helping surgeons prevent mistakes in complex operations where visibility is poor.