snake venom

18 Stories

Key to Saving Lives From Snakebites Could Be a Pill

Matthew Lewin hopes varespladib, currently in clinical trials via Ophirex, will help buy victims time

(Newser) - According to World Health Organization stats, nearly 140,000 people die annually around the globe from venomous snakebites, with most of them succumbing to the snake's venom before they can get emergency assistance. A California doctor hopes his idea will stymie the Grim Reaper in many of those cases,...

Dutch Town Warned to Steer Clear of Green Mamba

Escaped snake hopefully remains in owner's home

(Newser) - Residents of the Dutch city of Tilburg are being told to keep their eyes peeled for a long green snake—and stay far, far away should they see it. The AFP reports police were called on Monday night by a homeowner who said a highly venomous green mamba had escaped...

Snake Bites Zoo Worker, and There's No Antivenom

'Incidents like this are very rare,' zoo says

(Newser) - A San Diego Zoo employee was hospitalized Monday after being bitten by a venomous snake—one for which no antivenom exists. The zoo says the worker was bitten by the African bush viper—aka Atheris squamigera—in an area of the zoo that is off-limits to the public, KGTV reports....

His Pet Cobra Bit Him. Then, the Scramble for Antivenom Began

Generic antivenom initially given to victim didn't work

(Newser) - A Michigan man's pet cobra bit him earlier this month, setting off a multistate hunt for the specific type of antivenom needed to save the man. The 26-year-old started vomiting about 20 minutes after being bit by the albino monocled cobra July 14; their venom is one of the...

Copperhead Latches Onto Woman's Foot in Restaurant

'I felt what turned out to be a snake wiggling in my fingers'

(Newser) - Rachel Myrick experienced possibly one of the last things you'd expect upon entering a LongHorn Steakhouse: She was bit by a copperhead snake. In fact, the venomous 8-inch snake was still attached to her foot (she was wearing sandals) after she first felt a sharp pain; she had to...

Ariz. Man Learns Hard Way That Snakes Are Not Toys

The predictable end to a ridiculous party trick

(Newser) - An Arizona man claims he's finally learned his lesson about messing around with snakes after getting bitten for the second time in his life. Victor Pratt, 48, was holding a birthday party for his kid at home in Coolidge, Ariz., on Sept. 7 when he picked up a rattlesnake...

How the Tiger Snake's Venom Beat Evolution

Australian tiger snake venom hasn't changed in 10M years

(Newser) - With its exceedingly deadly venom unchanged over the past 10 million years, the Australian tiger snake has essentially defeated evolution. Researcher Bryan Fry says in a press release it's "really unusual" for venom to remain unchanged over such a long period of time. Typically, predators and prey evolve...

A Painkiller Made From the 'Killer of Killers'?
Beautiful 'Freak'
Snake May Ease
Your Pain One Day
NEW STUDY
Oct 31, 2016 9:49 AM CDT

Beautiful 'Freak' Snake May Ease Your Pain One Day

If scientists can harness the power of the long-glanded blue coral snake's venom

(Newser) - Ibuprofen for your splitting headache, or venom from the "killer of killers"? Scientists say that poison from one of the rarest, most "beautiful" snakes in the world—a creature that devours king cobras for breakfast and boasts "freaky" long venom glands that run a quarter of...

MSF: We're Running Out of Snakebite Treatment

Doctors Without Borders says manufacturer halted key anti-venom

(Newser) - Doctors Without Borders says the world will run out of one of the most effective treatments for snakebites next year, risking the lives of tens of thousands of people, mostly in developing countries. In a statement today, the medical charity warned that existing stockpiles of the anti-venom Fav-Afrique produced by...

Pregnant Woman Learns Rattlesnake Lesson

Don't try to suck the venom out

(Newser) - It's around that time of year in California when rattlesnake bites spike, and two stories are making headlines:
  • Don't suck the venom: In Folsom, a 4-year-old got bit on the foot when he stepped on a baby rattler while walking on a trail. His mom—who is 9
...

Bit by a Snake? An Opossum Could Save You

Peptide from opossum protein protects mice from snakebites

(Newser) - For 75 years, researchers have known that opossums aren't fazed by poisonous snakes that can kill humans with a single strike. For about 25 years, they've known that a serum protein is responsible for that immunity. Now scientists have harnessed that protein and hope to save some of...

To Save Troops From Deadly Snakes, US Relies on ... Iran

Despite sanctions, we buy antivenin through middleman

(Newser) - The US leads the charge when it comes to economic sanctions against Iran—but when American soldiers' health is at stake, the military is willing to do a little business with the Islamic republic. Iran produces antivenin against the poisonous snakes of Afghanistan; our own antivenins are toothless against such...

Stung by a Scorpion? Mexico Will Save You

Despite 250 stings a year, US drug companies won't make anti-venom

(Newser) - With the United States having run out of scorpion anti-venom nearly 10 years ago, the FDA has just approved a Mexican-made treatment for scorpion stings, reports NPR . Although there are about 250 severe scorpion stings a year in the United States—mainly in the "Venom Belt" in the southwest—...

Deadly Mamba May Save Heart Patients

Ingredient in venom helps heart without hurting kidneys

(Newser) - Scientists believe the deadly green mamba may hold the key to saving many heart failure patients. A hormone found in the African tree snake's venom helps widen blood vessels to deliver its poison faster, reducing high blood pressure in the process. The hormone also appears to boost kidney function, researchers...

Snakebites Surge in Texas, Calif.

(Newser) - Poison control centers have witnessed a steep rise in snakebites in parts of the country this summer, USA Today reports. Authorities in central Texas say bites are up 35%, and southern California has seen many more serious cases than usual. Some experts suspect more snakes are developing powerful toxins in...

Komodo Dragons Use Venom to Kill

(Newser) - Australian scientists have discovered that the world’s largest lizard packs a lethal venom in its bite, the Guardian reports. MRI scans of an ailing Komodo dragon revealed venom glands in the mouth that had never before been documented. The dragons’ poison sends victims into shock by triggering a sudden...

Caviar and Other Weird Skincare Ingredients

Metals and stem cells have the magic touch

(Newser) - As it turns out, the fountain of youth is flowing with all sorts of strange ingredients, and Forbes reveals the best of a bunch that could keep you looking young and radiant:
  • Caviar isn’t just for your palate: La Prairie’s Skin Caviar Crystalline Concentre uses the fish extract
...

Snake Venom Accusation Dogs Horse Trainer

Poison from cobra reported found in Ky. racetrack barn

(Newser) - Doping scandals in horse racing usually concern diuretics and other performance-enhancing drugs, but a controversy currently brewing in Kentucky and New York involves a substance with a far longer history: cobra venom. Authorities searched a barn at Keeneland last month and turned up evidence that has sparked an investigation of...

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