"If you survived to the third or fourth round of layoffs, the company was probably cutting to the bone, " says Tim Honn, president of Fortis Recruiting Solutions in Lisle, Ill.

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There is more to this than simply cutting costs to the bone.

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And making them light enough for racing means cutting safety margins to the bone.

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But cutting government spending to the bone might not do the trick if the economy is not growing.

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The cost-cutting knife has also hit bone.

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An ingenious new laser called Waterlase adds to that the ability to cut through dry teeth and bone by casting a cloud of hot water vapor around the laser's cutting point, a couple of millimeters from the tooth.

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Dr Tzou and his colleagues are looking at uses ranging from cutting out burnt skin and melanomas, to dentistry, bonding joint implants to bone, and general surgery.

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This procedure involves cutting the front portion of the first metatarsal in a V-shape, moving the bone and holding the sections together with a fixation device, such as screws.

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