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Still Stinging? Bee’s Stinger Pumps Venom After Bee Long Gone
High-speed video and 3D scans showed two tiny valves act as collapsible pistons, helping the detached stinger deliver venom continuously.
- Researchers from Macquarie University and UNSW Canberra revealed that honeybee stingers function as double-piston micro-pumps, with findings published in the journal PNAS.
- Although researchers have known since the early 20th century that stingers use small pumps to empty venom sacs, the precise mechanism of how they maintain continuous flow remained unknown until this pioneering study.
- Using high-speed video, lead author Fiorella Ramirez-Esquivel observed how two tiny, specially shaped valves act as collapsible pistons. "The unique geometry of the valves is the key," Ramirez-Esquivel said, explaining their opposite-direction pumping delivers continuous venom flow.
- Researchers replicated the stinger design on a 3D printed model, confirming the pumping mechanism. The discovery could inspire less invasive medical devices, with "People have suggested to us that it could be useful in designing something like an insulin pump," Ramirez-Esquivel said.
- The monumental five-year effort by the team helped unlock stinger secrets, though researchers identified two possible mechanisms for valve deformation and noted more work remains to determine which process best describes the motion.
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Scientists have captured in stunning detail the workings of a bee stinger. Using high-speed cameras, they found that it continues to inject venom into the skin even after the insect has been removed. Researchers from Australia used a detached stinger to record the venom being injected into a gel that mimics human skin. The video shows the stinger penetrating deeper and deeper into the tissue thanks to its own mechanism. Close observation also re…
Incredibly Creepy Video Shows You a Bee Stinger Like You've Never Seen It Before
A disembodied bee stinger pierces into a skin-like gel. (Ramirez-Esquivel et al, 2026., CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Ouch.ScienceAlert stories are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans, never generated by AI. Don't miss a story, subscribe here.
·Canberra, Australia
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Total News Sources51
Leaning Left7Leaning Right10Center22Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 18%
C 56%
R 26%
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