Mosquito Mouthparts Used as 3D-Printer Nozzles Win the 2026 Ig Nobel Technology Prize
Science Advances
A team including researchers at McGill University developed '3D necroprinting,' which repurposes the proboscis of a female mosquito as a high-resolution 3D-printing nozzle, and the work received the 2026 Ig Nobel Prize in Technology. The proboscis has an inner diameter of roughly 20–30 µm, and the system produced printed lines about 20 µm wide.
The researchers compared several biological dispensing structures, including stingers and fangs, before choosing the mosquito proboscis for its narrow, straight geometry and ability to support continuous flow. Demonstrations included honeycomb structures, a maple leaf, and bioscaffolds containing cells.
Instead of machining a finer nozzle, the researchers looked at a mosquito and realized nature had already attached one. It even won a prize.