At first, the idea of using porcupine quills to patch up wounds sounds torturous. But, taking inspiration from the spiky rodent, researchers have begun to work on a new type of surgical staple that ...

Something occurred to me recently that I’d never thought of before: porcupine birth. Yeah. Ouch, right? Covered head to tail in sharp quills—that’s gotta pose a serious problem in the delivery room.