One of the most important tools in medicine is a centrifuge, a tool which spins samples at high speeds to separate out matter. But what do you do when you don’t have electricity, or you can’t afford a traditional centrifuge?

Public Radio International has a story about a Nigerian doctor who hacks the tools of his trade out of what’s readily available. In addition to making a centrifuge out of bicycle parts, he also has figured out how to run the boiler on used corn cobs, and in turn uses the steam from the boiler as an autoclave.

Listen to the whole story here.