Science News Welcome to Science News for the week of September 2-9.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2002 3:56 AM
If the sight of a needle makes you dizzy, here’s a...
If the sight of a needle makes you dizzy, here’s a new invention that might help ease your fears. Scientists have been studying the anatomy of mosquitoes to try and produce a virtually painless needle. We’ve all been bitten by mosquitoes before without even realizing it. How is it that they can draw your blood without you hardly noticing? Micro-engineers in Osaka, Japan, have been pondering that very question. While their invention is still being modified and perfected, they think they may have created a needle you won’t even feel. Apparently the secret is to serrate the needle, which provides less contact to the skin’s nerve endings. And their tests are proving that this needle only needs to be one-millimeter long to work. Now they’re just trying to figure out how to keep the tiny needle from breaking off. Who knows what they’ll figure out, but one thing’s for sure: a painless needle sure would reduce the stress of visiting the doctor. And that’s Science News for this week
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