Elson Liu has developed a simple laser setup to shoot the noses off tiny aphids.
Aphids attach themselves to a plant by inserting a fine stylet from their proboscis into the plant.
They then feed through the tube, thinner than a human hair, and can also infect the plant with a virus, such as the citrus tristeza virus which has a devastating impact on citrus crops. Biologists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Orlando want to study the fluids flowing through the tiny tubes. But when they go to cut the noses, the aphids react quickly, and apparently stop feeding. They also seem to warn other aphids in the area that something is wrong, and they stop feeding, too. Lasers have been used since 1973 to perform this so-called stylectomy, but Liu's project is the first using this kind of smaller, cheaper laser system which delivers a shorter, more powerful burst of energy.