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(MUSIC)

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JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST:

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If you want to find new ways to

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deal with crop pests or discover

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how to make a better medical

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device, then biomimicry may be

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the answer.

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Let's look at some things we've

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invented studying insects.

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We lose about 20 to 40 percent

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of our food crops to pests each

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year.

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But Scientists are looking at

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spiders for a new way to deal

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with them.

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Researchers thought that spider

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venom might make a good bug

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killer.

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They developed spear, a

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venom-based pesticide that kills

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common crop-eaters but doesn't

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hurt helpful insects like

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honeybees.

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One of nature's most annoying

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insects is the mosquito.

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They're evolved to land on you,

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pierce your skin with its

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special mouthpiece called a

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proboscis and sucking out blood

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without you even noticing.

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Researchers studying mosquito

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proboscis developed new medical

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needles for humans.

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They're one-tenth the size of

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the usual needle and they

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vibrate.

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So, nurses don't have to push so

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hard when they administer a

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shot.

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These insect-inspired needles

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may mean your next vaccination

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won't hurt.

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For more information about

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biomimicry, check out the

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Science Trek website.

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You'll find it at

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ScienceTrek.org.