http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-F ... wsNum=1768
he Wasp Knife secret? A small canister of compressed gas inside the handle delivers a bolus of gas when the knife penetrates the skin. The expanding gas creates a zone of deadly cold, freezing vital organs.
Police in Britain have been alerted; it's only a matter of time before they are used on people.
Science fiction readers are already familiar with exotic blades; can you add any to this list?
* Vibroblade
From If This Goes On..., by Robert Heinlein. Published by Astounding Science-Fiction in 1940.
* Short-Wave Surgical Knife
From Boomerang, by Eric Frank Russell. Published by King-Size Publications in 1953.
* Crysknife
From Dune, by Frank Herbert. Published by Putnam in 1965.
* Variable Sword
From Ringworld, by Larry Niven. Published by Ballantine in 1970.
* Fractal Knife
From Virtual Light, by William Gibson. Published by Bantam in 1993.
on another page on the site:
The manufacturer describes it as perfect for downed pilots, soldiers and security guards and boasts that it will "drop many of the world's largest land predators".
It can snap-freeze all tissue and organs in the area surrounding the blast.
A source close to West Midlands Police said: "The Met is obviously concerned about this and that is why they have circulated the information.
"This knife will almost certainly kill and the Met must have intelligence that they are in circulation.
"I think it is only a matter of time before one of these is used because the internet makes it much easier to find and buy weapons like this."
Labour MP for Perry Barr in Birmingham, Khalid Mahmood, said: "Weapons like this are absolutely disgraceful and there is no reason at all why people should be walking around the streets with them.
"There should be high-profile operations and high-profile arrests against anybody caught with them. The way to tackle the wider issue of knife crime is with effective community policing, which the West Midlands force does very well.
"The Met could pick up on the lessons from West Midlands Police in its excellent community work in places like Handsworth, Aston and Lozells."
The Wasp injection website states: "The effects of the compressed gas not only cause overinflation during ascent when used underwater, but also freezes all tissues and organs surrounding the point of injection on land or at sea."
Only when the best will suffice.