Snakes

While we all know it's a dog-eat-dog world, so to speak, an Australian snake species has taken the suggestion of cannibalism very literally and has been captured consuming a smaller, and very unlucky, version of itself.

Researchers discovered the world’s first case of a new human parasitic infection, pulling a live roundworm from a woman's brain. They say the case highlights the risks posed by zoonotic diseases caused by pathogens that jump from animals to humans.

Burmese pythons are famously known for being capable of swallowing pigs whole, but you have to keep in mind, the snakes themselves are pretty darn big. When it comes to snake-to-prey-size ratio, however, nothing beats the Gans' egg-eater.

Most snakes can only see the colors blue and green, along with ultraviolet light in some cases. New research, however, suggests that sea snakes have evolved to actually regain the wider-color vision of their earliest ancestors.

As work continues to clean up the mess left by the meltdown of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, scientists are enlisting some local help in their efforts to survey the damage, in the form of rat snakes that frequent the area.

Robots are great explorers, but one environment that’s tricky for them to navigate is through the ground. Now, engineers at UCSB and Georgia Tech have developed a snake-like robot that uses a range of methods to burrow through soft sand or soil.

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have spent a number of years developing modular snake-like robots for all kinds of purposes, and the latest adaptation sees its serpent-inspired tech headed underwater.

Scientists have observed snakes using an entirely unknown way of getting around. Brown tree snakes in Guam have been spotted climbing objects by wrapping themselves into a never-before-seen “lasso” shape.

While snakebite antivenom is certainly a lifesaver, it's also expensive, time-consuming to produce, and must be administered by trained clinicians. A new low-cost type of antivenom, however, could conceivably be self-applied right away, on the spot.

Scientists have shown that the simple zig-zag pattern on the back of the European viper serves three different purposes; it helps it avoid detection; warns predators off if noticed; and can hide the snake's movement if it has to flee.

When someone gets bitten by a venomous snake, it's crucial to administer an antivenom as soon as possible. In order to keep the victim going in the meantime, though, it turns out that an existing medication may do the trick.

When it comes to human interactions with venomous snakes, we tend to think of that venom as something that was "designed" mainly for defense. A new study, however, suggests that it evolved first and foremost as a means of killing prey.