Scientists discover a powerful new antivenom hidden in rattlesnake blood

Researchers discovered that combinations of toxin-blocking proteins naturally found in rattlesnake blood can powerfully neutralize venom from several dangerous snake species. In lab tests, the mixtures were about 10 times more potent than a current commercial antivenom, pointing toward a new generation of nature-inspired snakebite treatments. Scientists discover a powerful new antivenom hidden in rattlesnake blood.

Scientists discover a powerful new antivenom hidden in rattlesnake blood Science News from research organizations Scientists discover a powerful new antivenom hidden in rattlesnake blood Scientists are turning snakes’ own venom defenses into an antivenom that proved about 10 times more potent than a current treatment in laboratory tests. Their approach uses toxin-blocking proteins that western diamondback rattlesnakes evolved to protect themselves from venom. By combining specific proteins found in rattlesnake blood, the researchers achieved unusually strong protection against venom from several dangerous snake species.

The study was led by Distinguished University Professor of BiologySean B. Carroll and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings could help researchers develop more powerful antivenoms for deadly snakebites, which remain a major health threat in some regions of the world.

Physicists have directly observed a long-predicted quantum effect of gravity, putting one of Einstein’s foundational ideas to a striking new test. Using ultracold atoms, researchers split an atom’s quantum wave so that one part was held in place while the other fell freely under gravity, then reunited the two to measure the tiny difference that emerged.

Scientists observe Einstein’s gravity in the quantum world for the first time. Com An international team that includes Nobel Prize-winning physicist Professor Sir Roger Penrose has directly observed a long-predicted gravitational effect in a falling quantum object for the first time.

The finding shows that a central principle of Einstein’s theory of gravity continues to agree with quantum behavior under the conditions tested. The research, led by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the University of Ulm and the University of Oxford, was published September 2 in Science Advances.

Modern physics rests on two remarkably successful frameworks. Quantum mechanics describes the unusual behavior of atoms and other extremely small objects, while Einstein’s theory of gravity explains falling bodies and the large-scale structure of the Universe.

Despite their individual success, physicists still do not have a complete theory that brings the two together.

"This is one of those great stories when nature has already solved a problem we’ve been grappling with for decades," said Carroll, who also holds the Andrew and Mary Balo and Nicholas and Susan Simon Endowed Chair at UMD.