Venomous

A juvenile Gila monster named Winston is a key suspect in the death of his owner, who is currently suspected of having had a sensitivity to the lizard's toxic saliva.The Colorado man passed away on 16 February just four days after being bitten by the reptile, potentially becoming just the second person in the past century to have died as a result of Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) venom."That's a very unusual consequence of a Gila monster bite," University of Northern Colorado biologist Stephen Mackessy told CBS news…

From its thunderous score, which sounds at times like someone dismantling an orchestra with a mallet, to the huge, intimidating, blood-red lettering of the intertitles, to the gut punch of an opening scene: violence, or the threat of it, lurks in every frame of Felipe Gálvez Haberle’s assured debut.Opening in 1901 in the sprawling wilderness of Tierra del Fuego, Chile, this Spanish- and English-language film is partly based on true events – including multiple massacres of the indigenous Selk’nam people by white settlers –…

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. —  John Heenan knows the terror of feeling a sting on his foot, then looking down and seeing two bright red puncture wounds about an inch apart and a massive rattlesnake slithering away into tall grass.It was a summer morning in 2017, and the 74-year-old horticulturist was carrying a box of fruit in a Marin County orchard when, he said, “I stepped right on him, then called out to a partner, ‘Hey, I’ve been bitten by a rattlesnake.’”It’s a snapshot imprinted in Heenan’s brain. “The fangs struck a…

Lately, we have been experiencing heavy rainfall, leading to flood-like situations in many parts of the country. The drop in temperature caused by the rain has a significant impact on the lives of many animals. We have come across several videos showing wild animals leaving the jungle in search of food. During this time of year, reptiles such as snakes come out in search of dry and warm spots. A recent incident was reported from Kerala where a venomous snake sought shelter in a riding helmet. Fortunately, the snake was…

While there's already no shortage of threats and dangers brought on by climate change, we do have another one to add to the list: Warmer weather makes venomous snake bites more likely, according to a new study.The study was conducted in Georgia in the US, a state home to 17 species of venomous snake, though only seven of those are a common concern for humans. The study analysis shows that each degree Celsius rise in temperature leads to nearly a 6 percent increase in snake bites, on average.Snakes are known to react to…

In a world first, researchers have reared cone snails in a laboratory aquarium, which presents huge potential for understanding and unlocking the power of their complex venom for a vast range of human therapeutics.It’s estimated up to 1,000 different cone snail species exist, each with their own special recipe of venom. Each type of venom contains hundreds of compounds, so it's no surprise it's already of huge interest to scientists who have so far discovered the potential for painkillers, insulin regulation and more.Now,…

The findings reveal a surprisingly selfish side to yeast behavior.A recently discovered phenomenon known as latecomer killing describes how yeast kills its own clones and other nearby microorganisms to survive when starved of glucose.Yeast is not the simple single-celled microorganism we always believed it was, but a competitive killer. When yeast is starved of glucose, it releases a toxin that can kill any other microorganisms that have entered its habitat, even clones of itself. This previously unknown venomous…

A new study has found that lizards that eat fire ants – a venomous, invasive pest found in many parts of the world – could gain a measure of protection against their stinging bites.By digesting and processing the ants and their venom, the lizards' immune system may become primed to fight it, a bit like having an ant venom vaccine. This suggests native species can adapt to protect themselves against the invaders, allowing them to coexist rather than be eradicated by changing ecology."We know that lizards from areas with…

Ned Beauman was listed on Granta’s once-a-decade list of best young British novelists last time out, in 2013, and his latest novel makes clear that, not yet 40, he’s absolutely worth a nomination next year too. Full of fun and big ideas, his conceptually tricksy novels crackle with comic zip, alive to the past (his debut, Boxer, Beetle, and second novel, The Teleportation Accident, dealt in different ways with the legacies of Nazism) as well as the present (his third novel, Glow, was an ultra-contemporary conspiracy…

In a somewhat more nerdy and blokeish literary culture, Ned Beauman would probably be more famous. It’s easy to imagine the four precision-engineered, shaggy-dog thriller-comedies that he published between 2010 and 2017 going down a treat in, say, the 60s or 70s. But in the 2020s, the vast majority of literary fiction is, as we are frequently reminded, bought (and, increasingly, written) by women; and there is something fundamentally boyish about Beauman’s novels that puts him, I suspect, out of step with prevailing…