So will they teach women in the developing world to use "molecular condoms" by putting them on microscopic bananas?

OK. So I had a wisdom tooth extracted this morning and I am still loopy on the pain meds. This is what you get.

But the story, from Science Daily, reminds us that the frontiers of technology keep taking us to places we never thought we'd go (and still may not be sure we want to explore):

ScienceDaily (Aug. 10, 2009) — University of Utah scientists developed a new kind of "molecular condom" to protect women from AIDS in Africa and other impoverished areas. Before sex, women would insert a vaginal gel that turns semisolid in the presence of semen, trapping AIDS virus particles in a microscopic mesh so they can't infect vaginal cells.

"The first step in the complicated process of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection in a woman is the virus diffusing from semen to vaginal tissue. We want to stop that first step," says Patrick Kiser, an associate professor of bioengineering at the University of Utah's College of Engineering. "We have created the first vaginal gel designed to prevent movement of the AIDS virus. This is unique. There's nothing like it."

Oh, and by the way, if you have ever thought your dog was just as smart as your next door neighbor's unappealing toddler, it turns out that you were right.