A species of fanged ‘worm’ that looks like something from a horror movie is the first known amphibian with toxic dental glands, scientists say. US and Brazilian biologists found oral glands in ringed caecilians – serpent-like amphibians related to frogs and salamanders that reach up to 17 inches long. Researchers already knew that caecilians have poisonous tails … Read more
A species of fanged ‘worm’ that looks like something from a horror movie is the first known amphibian with toxic dental glands, scientists say. US and Brazilian biologists found oral glands in ringed caecilians – serpent-like amphibians related to frogs and salamanders that reach up to 17 inches long. Researchers already knew that caecilians have poisonous tails … Read more
Insulin developed from the venom of a predatory sea snail could be used to create a ‘safer and more effective’ diabetes treatment, researchers claim. It mimics the ultra-fast-acting properties of the sea snail venom to lower blood sugar levels, without long-term side effects seen in other types of diabetes treatment. University of Utah led scientists … Read more
Scientists say that scorpion venom could one day be used to treat arthritis. A protein within scorpion venom was found to help deliver steroid medication in a safer way, reducing its side effects. Testing on mice, the US researchers found the protein reversed joint inflammation but wasn’t toxic to other parts of the body. The … Read more