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How does snake venom kill a human?

11 Nov 2022

There are more than 3000 species of snakes on Earth, ranging from the Barbados threadsnake at roughly 10 cm long (about the same as a deck of cards) to the reticulated python at around 6 m in...

Fake Snake News: How Not to Identify a Poisonous Snake

10 Jul 2018

There are almost no poisonous snakes. That’s because for something to be poisonous means it’s toxic if ingested. Like hemlock.

The Symbol for Healing

20 Mar 2017

A snake coiled around a staff is a widely recognized symbol of healing.  The staff belongs to Asklepios, the mythical Greek god of medicine.  In ancient Greece the sick would go to be healed at...

Poisons can be Drugs

20 Mar 2017

Why do snakes make venom? Essentially to bring down prey for food, but snakes will also bite to defend themselves. Chemically, the poisons are very complex and are generally composed of numerous...

Snake Bitten

20 Mar 2017

Not many people have heard of boomslang. That’s not surprising because these venomous tree snakes are a super shy and non-aggressive species native to Sub-Saharan Africa. These snakes exhibit...

Blue Scorpion Venom for Cancer?

15 Feb 2017

Cancer patients from around the world have been travelling to Cuba for years to be treated for cancer with venom extracted from the blue scorpion. It all started in the 1980s when biologist Misael...

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