University of Utah biologists invented a hairdryer-like device -- the "LouseBuster" -- to rid children of head lice infestations. Their "weapon" effectively eradicates infestations with a single 30-minute treatment that requires no chemicals but instead uses dry, hot air to exterminate the eggs and kills enough lice to prevent them from reproducing.

Audio Transcript:

The answer to a real (SOUND: scratching) head-scratcher...

I'm Bob Karson with "The Discovery Files" -- new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation.

Every year Americans spend over 160 million dollars on a very lousy problem: lice. Infestations, especially among children, are tough to deal with because the insecticides and chemicals don't do a good job of killing the eggs, or "nits."

There's a promising new chemical-free treatment developed at the University of Utah. To understand how this new "lousebuster" works, we take you to lice party central... (SOUND: lice partying)... the skin or scalp of a person or animal.

The device is kind of like a hair dryer.

(SOUND: hair dryer)

It blows heated air over the lice and the eggs, and simply dries them out... (SOUND: lice coughing, dying) killing enough of them so they can't reproduce. No chemicals, no weeks of treatment, and... no lice.

Not to be nit-picky, but finally there's an effective weapon against the little louses... just point it their way, (SOUND: hair dryer) and tell 'em to dry up!

"The Discovery Files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research -- brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov.