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An ant investigates and begins to treat the injured leg of a comrade. When necessary, these ants will perform medical amputations.

Lab experiments show that some ants will treat the injured legs of comrades, and when it's necessary will even perform medical amputations. Bart Zijlstra, UNIL hide caption

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Bart Zijlstra, UNIL

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Ants treat certain leg injuries with lifesaving amputations

Medical amputation isn't a uniquely human form of medicine, it turns out. Some ant species will cut off the limbs of injured buddies when it's necessary to save them.

Ants treat certain leg injuries with lifesaving amputations

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Failure To Save A Child In Wartime Inspires Wound-Healing Tech
Courtesy of Michael Rosnach/Harvard University

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Failure To Save A Child In Wartime Inspires Wound-Healing Tech

As a soldier, Kit Parker saw horrific injuries. As a scientist, he led an effort to create high-tech dressings that speed healing and reduce scarring.

Failure To Save A Child In Wartime Inspires Wound-Healing Tech

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Slug Slime Inspires Scientists To Invent Sticky Surgical Glue

The defensive mucus of the Arion subfuscus slug has inspired materials scientists trying to invent better medical adhesives. Nigel Cattlin/Visuals Unlimited/Getty Images hide caption

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Nigel Cattlin/Visuals Unlimited/Getty Images

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Slug Slime Inspires Scientists To Invent Sticky Surgical Glue

The words "strong" and "inspiring" are not usually assigned to garden slugs. But slug slime inspired materials scientists to invent a new kind of adhesive that could one day help heal human wounds.

Slug Slime Inspires Scientists To Invent Sticky Surgical Glue

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WATCH: Lessons In Wound Healing From Our Favorite Fly

The underwater construction skills of the caddis fly larva have caught the interest of bioengineers. The larva tapes and glues pebbles together to form a sturdy protective case. Josh Cassidy/KQED hide caption

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Josh Cassidy/KQED

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WATCH: Lessons In Wound Healing From Our Favorite Fly

KQED

You may know the caddis fly as a fishing lure. But bioengineers hunting a better way to seal wounds and set bones say the larvae of these insects have a few tricks we should try to mimic.

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare
Frank Rossoto Stocktrek/Getty Images

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From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare

Fresh Air

When it comes to curiosity, science writer Mary Roach describes herself as someone who is "very out there." Her new book, Grunt, looks at some scientific developments that help keep soldiers safe.

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare

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One Sculptor's Answer To WWI Wounds: Plaster, Copper And Paint

Plaster casts taken from soldiers' mutilated faces (top row), new sculpted faces (bottom row), and final masks (on the table) sit in the studio of Anna Coleman Ladd in 1918. American Red Cross/Anna Coleman Ladd papers/Archives of American Art/Smithsonian Institution hide caption

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American Red Cross/Anna Coleman Ladd papers/Archives of American Art/Smithsonian Institution

The Impact of War

One Sculptor's Answer To WWI Wounds: Plaster, Copper And Paint

World War I left many soldiers with disfiguring scars. For those whose faces were no longer recognizable, an American artist, Anna Coleman Ladd, sculpted masks to cover their injuries.

One Sculptor's Answer To WWI Wounds: Plaster, Copper And Paint

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Experimental Technique Coaxes Muscles Destroyed By War To Regrow

A cross-section of skeletal muscle in this light micrograph shows the individual, parallel muscle fibers (red). These fibers work in concert to power movement. Thomas Deerinck, NCMIR/ScienceSource hide caption

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Thomas Deerinck, NCMIR/ScienceSource

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Experimental Technique Coaxes Muscles Destroyed By War To Regrow

By surgically transplanting material from pig bladders into the injured legs of several men, doctors prompted muscles to heal by growing and nurturing fresh, healthy cells.

Experimental Technique Coaxes Muscles Destroyed By War To Regrow

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