Wasp uses zinc {compound}-tipped drill to lay eggs (BBC)
By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News
Footage captured by scientists has revealed the power of a parasitic wasp, which has evolved a zinc-tipped drill to bore into fruit.
The wasps penetrate the fruit in order to lay their eggs inside.
A team from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore found that wasps' fruit-drilling and egg-laying tool - which is thinner than a human hair - has teeth enriched with zinc.
The researchers' study is published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
The researchers think the fig wasp's egg-laying technique could inspire the design of new tools for microsurgical techniques.
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more: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27608222
The original headline is slightly misleading -- zinc is present, but not as the metal. It could be as an inorganic compound, such as zinc phosphate (commonly used in dentistry), or a crosslinked zinc-protein complex, of which many are now known to be found in arthropod claws, mandibles, etc.