Punchy Proteins Could Help Advance Drug Delivery

Earth’s critters have developed countless ways to survive.Some bacteria that live inside paramecia,which are tiny aquatic organisms,use a coiled protein ribbon that unfurls like a Chinese paper yo-yo to deliver a toxin to threatening organisms.The protein packs a punch,bursting through membranes of the paramecia’s competitors as it elongates.Now,scientists report that the protein could someday deliver drugs or become integrated into tiny devices.