North American porcupine quills, which easily puncture tissue and lodge stubbornly in the flesh thereafter, may provide a clue to designing new medical needles, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (December 10).
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston say that their new needle designs, based on those of the porcupine, could lead to the production of needles that effortlessly penetrate skin and resist buckling.
The barbs on the quill are the secret according to the study's authors, as barbed quills require 60 to 70 percent less force to penetrate muscle tissue and were four times harder to remove.
"If you can still create the stress concentrations, but without having a barb that catches tissue on removal, potentially you could create something with just easy insertion, without the adhesion," study coauthor James Ankrum of MIT said in a statement.
In addition to new needles, researchers speculate that porcupine quills could inspire new designs for the staples and sutures used to close wounds after surgery.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.