82

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)

top 41 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 37 points 2 months ago

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

[-] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 months ago

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 12 points 2 months ago

The process does involve gaslighting and lying to their mosquito family

[-] meco03211@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

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

[-] Deebster@infosec.pub 6 points 2 months ago

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

[-] comador@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago
[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 0 points 2 months ago

Why ja vol? Either ja, voll or jawoll.

[-] Bo7a@piefed.ca 1 points 2 months ago

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 2 points 2 months ago

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

[-] Bo7a@piefed.ca 1 points 2 months 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.

[-] Cybersteel@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

One almost killed me. Dengue.

[-] argarath@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months 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!

[-] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago

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

[-] lemmyout@lemmy.zip 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

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 12 points 2 months 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 3 points 2 months ago

Probably something from The Flintstones.

[-] veeesix@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 months ago

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

[-] Lemming6969@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

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

[-] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

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

[-] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago

So these 3D printed things arent vegan?

[-] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

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

[-] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Say what? Is this not exploiting an animal, or worse, creating a potential market incentive to further exploit animal bodies and life? I'm not even vegan. I know individuals have exceptions, and the philosophy is a spectrum rather than a monolith and all that, but are mosquitoes not animal life?

[-] Lemminary@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

I think they were joking.

[-] nyan@lemmy.cafe 4 points 2 months ago

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

[-] Deebster@infosec.pub 2 points 2 months ago

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

[-] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

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

[-] bluesheep@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

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

[-] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 months ago

Dude, that’s metal.

[-] Grimy@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago
[-] fubarx@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

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

[-] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 months ago

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

[-] orenj@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 months ago

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

[-] jbloggs777@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 months ago

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

[-] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

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

[-] brown567@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

This one seems about that size

[-] dellish@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

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 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

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 one 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.

[-] msage@programming.dev 0 points 2 months ago

Aahhh yes, man-made horrors beyond my imagination.

[-] Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months 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)

this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2025
82 points (98.8% liked)

Technology

81207 readers
857 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS