--- title: "Brutal “Nanodrills” Can Kill Tiny Living Worms and Water Fleas" description: "Researchers created tiny \"nanodrills\" that were able to cut themselves into the cells of worms and plankton. They could even cure skin diseases." date: "2020-03-06" modified: "2020-03-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/nanodrills-kill-worms-water-fleas" categories: - "Future Materials" - "Nanotech" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Antibiotic Resistance" - "nanobionics" - "nanobots" - "skin" --- # Brutal “Nanodrills” Can Kill Tiny Living Worms and Water Fleas ![Researchers created tiny "nanodrills" that were able to cut themselves into the cells of worms and plankton. They could even cure skin diseases.]() *\Image: Alison Buck/Biola University\* In December, a team of researchers from Texas [demonstrated]() tiny "nanodrills" that are capable of drilling into the cell walls of cancer cells and antibiotic-resistant bacteria without damaging healthy cells nearby. Now, they say, the tech could pave the way for a new generation of treatments that rely on mechanical ways of fighting superbugs and other common ailments including skin diseases. In their latest test, the researchers' drills were able to cut into the cells of tiny, millimeter-long worms and a type of plankton, [*New Atlas* reports](). "The work here shows that whole organisms, such as small worms and water fleas, can be killed by nanomachines that drill into them," lead researcher James Tour, co-author of [a paper]() published in the journal *ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces* about the research last month, said in [a statement](). "This is not just single-cell death, but whole organism, with cell death in the millions." In other words, the result was pure carnage — but on a microscopic scale. The tiny motors were able to dismember the plankton's limbs, causing it to slowly die over several days. The minuscule drills can spin at three million rotations per second when they're activated with light, according to the statement. And they're not just really good at hurting plankton. "They can also be used to drill into skin, thereby suggesting utility in the treatment of things like pre-melanoma," Tour added. In mouse models, the motors were able to cause lesions and ulcerations in unwanted tissue. But the intention, of course, is not to hurt the animals. "It could mean direct topical treatment to skin conditions such as melanomas, eczema and other skin diseases," co-author and biochemist Richard Gunasekera said in the statement. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()