this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2025
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A severed mosquito proboscis can be turned into an extremely fine nozzle for 3D printing, and this could help create replacement tissues and organs for transplants.

I've linked to a decent write-up on Tom's Hardware, but New Scientist covered it last week too.

Source paper: 3D necroprinting: Leveraging biotic material as the nozzle for 3D printing (science.org)

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[–] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 108 points 1 day ago (5 children)

I'm only in favor of this if the mosquito suffers mightily somewhere along the process.

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 47 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I want it setup so the hot filament goes into its asshole and then out through the probiscus.

Now there's a mental image.

[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The process does involve gaslighting and lying to their mosquito family

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago

No no. I want them to know it was me.

[–] Cybersteel@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

One almost killed me. Dengue.

[–] argarath@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Good news! Brazil developed a single dose vaccine against dengue!! I don't know when they're going to start vaccinating, but the vaccine has been approved, it's already tested and everything!

[–] Deebster@infosec.pub 11 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'm currently living somewhere hot enough that the little pricks are a bother all year round.

[–] Bo7a@piefed.ca 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm currently living in Canada where the ground has been hidden by snow for a month.

i was bitten by a mosquito outside yesterday.

They are getting stronger.

[–] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm currently living in Canada and we've seen two snowflakes this entire winter (they fell in October)

[–] Bo7a@piefed.ca 3 points 1 day ago

Lucky.

We have had full snow cover since mid-october here. But it has also been +3-5c most afternoons.

Although early snow often means warmer winter. And I can definitely handle the snow in QC better than the -40s I used to get in AB.

[–] jbloggs777@discuss.tchncs.de 76 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Interesting fact: You can use an elephant's trunk as a low-resolution 3D printing nozzle

[–] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

More interesting facts: you can use a human penis as a medium-resolution 3D printing nozzle

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 9 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

less interesting fact, my penis is a lower resolution than an elephant trunk.

[–] Saber_is_dead@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago

humblebrag!

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 7 points 21 hours ago

Ugh, my prostate is not going to make an entire benchy. Ow.

[–] brown567@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 day ago

This one seems about that size

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[–] dellish@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes but does it have to be dead at the time?

I'm really not sure why they felt the need to point this out in the article.

[–] crapwittyname@feddit.uk 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

Yes, the first attempts via the more obvious approach of using a live mosquito were a lot trickier, because the techniques involved in persuading the mosquito to comply were outside of the highly-specialised knowledgebase of the team. That is, until the serendipitous moment when one particularly heavy-handed researcher accidentally killed a mosquito whilst trying to attach it to a printer. The surprise and elation that must have resulted when they realised they could use mosquito husks was, surely a sight to behold. The missing piece of the puzzle had finally fallen into place. Some might even say... by Divine Providence, perhaps?
I daresay some of the project leads were kicking themselves nonetheless: "It's so simple! Dead mosquito proboscises! Dead! Why didn't I think of that?!", etc. But I think we should go easy on them; we could all get a doctorate in the field of hindsight!
In the end, just like many discoveries before it: penicillin, safety glasses, velcro etc., this breakthrough simply owes a lot to blind chance.

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[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 57 points 1 day ago (1 children)

3D printing is not vegan anymore.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I'd say harming mosquitoes (females only, that feed on blood) is better than vegan!

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[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 39 points 1 day ago

And here I've been throwing away all my dead mosquitoes like a sucker.

[–] veeesix@lemmy.ca 38 points 1 day ago

Necroprinting is the new Necromancer skill upgrade I’ve been waiting for.

[–] msage@programming.dev 37 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Aahhh yes, man-made horrors beyond my imagination.

[–] Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This reminds me of a post where someone hooked a dead spider up to a syringe and used it as a grabber. A spider's musculature is hydraulic so the legs would curl and uncurl as the syringe was pressed.

Definitely one of the creepier things I've casually stumbled upon.

Edit: Behold, necromancy! (time-stamped video)

[–] Lemming6969@lemmy.world 28 points 1 day ago (3 children)

There is no way this is more viable than a manufactured micro needle, nor scalable.

[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 51 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Not scalable? You haven't seen my back yard in the summer time, I'm gonna be rich!!

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

He said: I'm gonna be rich!

But all he got was an itch 🎶

[–] Chais@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Keep in mind, you can't squish them.

[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

Yeah yeah, we'll figure that out, but first let's talk about that first round of VC funds, right?

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If you scaled it, it wouldn't be high-resolution anymore.

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[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

It is not. This is just yet another piece of garbage science made to get into headlines, nothing more or less.

I’m a fan of the flinstones timeline over the techno dystopia

[–] lemmyout@lemmy.zip 26 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I like how the title specifies the mosquitos are dead. Otherwise I would have imagined a swarm of mosquitos trained to perform like some cartoon.

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 day ago

There is a 3d printer hotend called the mosquito. The company behind it is incredibly litigious. It’s why literally the entire community hates them.

[–] WindyRebel@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

Probably something from The Flintstones.

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[–] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So these 3D printed things arent vegan?

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Mosquitoes are an exception to the values typically exhibited in veganism.

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[–] nyan@lemmy.cafe 13 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Ugh. I hope that there being a use for the little bastards now doesn't make people breed them on purpose.

[–] Deebster@infosec.pub 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Have you seen the footage of scientists feeding them from their own arms? Nooope, not for all the tea in China.

If it makes you feel better, the people who stick their arms in aren’t allergic to mosquito bites. Doesn’t bother them to get bit beyond the feeling of being bit.

I mean I guess it could happen that they are just masochistic, but typically not.

[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I did not have GMO mosquitos bred for a more effective proboscis escaping into the wild on my bingo card

[–] bluesheep@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

Imagine looking down and there's a mosquito printing a fucking benchy on your forearm.

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[–] orenj@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 15 hours ago

I cannot believe i've never encountered the term "necroprinting" in a scifi/scifantasy setting before

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

Dude, that’s metal.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago
[–] fubarx@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I challenged my family not to say WHAT! when reading that headline. So far, everyone's failed (including myself).

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