Friday 14 December 2012

Porcupine's prickly defence mystery solved


Porcupine quills easily penetrate flesh but prove hard to remove due to microscopic barbs, say scientists.

North American porcupines are famed for their unique defence as they carry 30,000 quills on their backs.

Researchers studied the structures to understand how they effortlessly enter flesh but do not leave as smoothly.

Tiny backward-facing barbs studding the tip of each quill were found to reduce penetration force and maximise staying power.

The team, including Dr Jeffrey Karp from the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, US and Dr Robert Langer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, suggests the discovery could revolutionise medical equipment for human use.

The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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