The world’s smallest mustache on a red blood cell

A team of Australian scientists has created the world’s smallest mustache, small enough to be shaped by a single red blood cell.

To create the smallest mustache in the worldscientists used the same techniques used to make medicines or delivery systems, tiny components for sensors, optics or microfluidic systems.

The manufacturing process, which took place at the Melbourne Nanofabrication Center (MCN), is similar to building a miniature accessory.

“We meticulously created the tiny ‘Mo’ by layering 3D-printed polymer resin onto a small stand and delicately attaching it to a single red blood cell with the help of a micro manipulator”, he explained Bernie Orelupdirector of Engineering and Operations at MCN, cited by New Atlas.

The blood cell was isolated from a sample taken from a volunteer donor, fixed on a gold-coated slide and coated with a 15-nanometer-thick layer of metal. The images of this true work of art were captured with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

But what is the purpose of Micro-Mo? Well, actually, this little mustache was born in support of the men’s health charity Movemberwhich encourages men to grow a mustache from scratch throughout the month to raise awareness of issues such as prostate and testicular cancer, and male suicide.

In this particular case, the objective is to draw attention to the importance of blood donation.

In addition to being a way to help many people, “donating blood is also a great way to learn about your own health while saving a life, with each donation including an analysis of your heart rate, blood pressure and iron storage levels” , appealed Alison Gould, spokeswoman for the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood.

“Although the mustache is very small, we hope it can have a big impact and inspire some men (and women) to give blood and do their part for men’s health”, concluded the person in charge.