Liquid metal shreds bacteria

Liquid metal takes on bacteria

"It works by shredding bacteria and the bacterial biofilm in which they thrive without harming good cells, the team from RMIT University reports in a paper in the journal ACS Nano."

"When exposed to a low-intensity magnetic field, tiny droplets of liquid metal change shape and develop sharp edges. When placed in contact with a bacterial biofilm, these edges break down the biofilm and physically rupture the bacterial cells."

"In their study, the researchers tested the effectiveness of the approach against two types of bacterial biofilms (Gram-positive and Gram-negative)."

"After 90 minutes of exposure, both were destroyed and 99% of the bacteria were dead, they report. Importantly, laboratory tests showed the droplets did not affect human cells."