Scientists Want To Put Spiders In Your Blood

Earnest Cavalli

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Jun 19, 2008
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Scientists Want To Put Spiders In Your Blood



Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have developed self-directed, blood-borne "micro spiders" that they hope can repair the body from the inside.

If that sounds like the nanobots sci-fi authors have been promising would rejuvenate us for the past quarter century, you've been paying rapt attention. These spiders would function in much the same way as those theoretical 'bots, though the really impressive bit here is that thanks to Penn State scientists, this dream is no longer theoretical.

Also, much to the chagrin of journalists hoping to paint a grim future filled with minute, shiny arachnid overlords, these "spiders" aren't really spiders at all.

New Scientist explains:

Ayusman Sen of Pennsylvania State University in University Park and his colleagues have created the self-propelling microspiders using spheres less than a micrometre wide. Each sphere is made up of two halves - one hemisphere is gold, the other silica - and looks like a gold-and-silver Christmas bauble.

To turn the spheres into motors, the group attached a Grubbs catalyst - a molecule that builds long chains of smaller molecules - to the silica side. When Sen drops his spheres into a solvent containing the chemical norbornene, the catalyst spins a polymer from molecules of the chemical. Eventually there are far more unpolymerised single molecules of norbornene around the gold side of the sphere than the silica side , creating an osmotic gradient, as fluids will always move from a region with lots of particles to a region with fewer particles. The solvent rushes toward the gold side of the sphere, causing the whole sphere to move.

In layman's terms, these machines -- which Sen hopes can be powered by elements already found in the body, such as glucose -- travel through the blood stream using a chemical motor, seek out damage, and spin webs of "medical glue" to patch up any holes the patient might have.

It's an idea that is brilliant in its superficial simplicity, and the progress Sen's team has seen so far is quite remarkable. Assuming they are able to coax the 'bots into seeking out damage properly, using "motors" attracted to the secretions of wounds, this could be a huge step both in non-invasive medical treatment, and the overall health of the human body.

On the other hand, if these 'bots suddenly develop a taste for chemicals found in other, non-damaged parts of the body, they could do irreparable harm to their hosts. Unfortunately, I still can't spin that into a hellish future dystopia where we all slowly suffocate inside cocoons while our robot masters daintily sup upon our vital fluids, but here's hoping Sen can get all the kinks worked out before someone ends up with their prostate glued to their left arm.

Source: New Scientist [http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20867-selfdirected-microspider-could-repair-blood-vessels.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news]
(Image [http://www.flickr.com/photos/26917592@N08/4983794690/])

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smithy1234

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Dec 12, 2008
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I can imagine a million spiders ripping out of a small paper cut.

or becoming Spiderman, either or really
 

LJJ1991

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May 6, 2011
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So... Pennsylvania State University is working on creating... the Borg. Great idea!
 

Logic 0

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Aug 28, 2009
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So this the where the blood-spiders came from I always thought it was dark magic.
 

inFAMOUSCowZ

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Jul 12, 2010
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...I live in PA, does someone want to help me get the hell outta here for when the spiders take over peoples bodies.
 

Versuvius

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Apr 30, 2008
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Spider man, spider man, can do anything a spider can...

Alternatively: Firing bees from your hand.
 

Venats

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Aug 22, 2011
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This is medical nanodot technology from five years ago isn't it? Doesn't sound like they progressed too far in those last five years... and it's likely still tied up nicely with all the exact same problems as before.
 

Xan Krieger

Completely insane
Feb 11, 2009
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Am I the only one reminded of Vamp from Metal Gear Solid 2? He had nanomachines in his blood that let him heal from normally fatal injuries (a headshot immediately after the fight with Fortune for example).
 

Panzervaughn

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Jul 19, 2009
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$20 says instead of healing a papercut, it heals up your veins and capillaries and cuts off your hand with bloodloss.

eventually you'll just be a head and torso, immobilized and kept alive, acting as a living nest for these THINGS.

N
 

Beryl77

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Mar 26, 2010
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I didn't think they'd manage to make something like this while I'm still alive. It's great living in the future. Even if I have some concerns, I think I'd volunteer to test this on my body because I just love things like this.
 

emeraldrafael

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Jul 17, 2010
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Why is it Penn State is always trying to create nightmare fuel? you never see Pitt doing this kinda stuff.

...

I remember when I always younger, I always used to have dreams where I would see spiders just crawling in my blood, long the bones, spinning webs in me where I was bleeding and stoppingm and eating germs and viruses in my body. its weird to hear this news now.
 

Dalek Caan

Pro-Dalek, Anti-You
Feb 12, 2011
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HaHa, no. keep them away from me. I would sooner allow Terminators access to my innards than spiders.
 

Shakomaru

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May 18, 2011
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Did anyone else read the title and think, "SPIDERS! DO NOT WANT!" Did they really have to say that? and the last paragraph... Anyone else know about or think about these things?
 

Space Jawa

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Feb 2, 2010
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I have a feeling that these things are going to have a lot of bugs to work out before they're ready for use in people.
 

Formica Archonis

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Nov 13, 2009
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Earnest Cavalli said:
On the other hand, if these 'bots suddenly develop a taste for chemicals found in other, non-damaged parts of the body, they could do irreparable harm to their hosts. Unfortunately, I still can't spin that into a hellish future dystopia where we all slowly suffocate inside cocoons while our robot masters daintily sup upon our vital fluids, but here's hoping Sen can get all the kinks worked out before someone ends up with their prostate glued to their left arm.
Not quite what you were looking for, but the short story that inspired the novel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Music_(novel) is as close as I can think of. (Disclaimer: I didn't like it.)