Torn flesh is easy to put back together with stitches, but when bone breaks, repairs are nowhere near as simple. Bones with fractures that run in a straight line can often be placed back in their proper alignment and set in a cast to heal. Compound fractures, however-those that involve bones shattered into fragments-pose more of a challenge. Large fragments can, with the aid of metal screws and pins, be reattached and set in place for healing. Small fragments cannot be treated in the same way, as they are often too tiny to be connected with metal hardware. Medics have long sought a glue to do this work,rnand now Russell Stewart of the University of Utah may have found one in the secretions of a marine worm.
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