spider venom

11 Stories

Massive Killer Spider Found in Australia Could Save Lives

Australian Reptile Park plans to milk the 'megaspider' to make antivenom

(Newser) - If you happen to have handed over a massive spider with fangs almost an inch long to an anti-venom program in Australia, the Australian Reptile Park wants to hear from you. The park says the funnel-web spider, nicknamed "megaspider," is the largest arachnid of this kind that the...

Doctor Pulls Brown Recluse From a Woman's Ear

Spider moved in but didn't bite

(Newser) - That swishing sound in Susie Torres' ear sounded like water. Maybe it was caused by a recent allergy shot, she thought. The slight pain didn't let up, so she decided to have her ear examined after work. A medical assistant had one look and went for help, KSHB reports....

Spider Venom Could Stave Off Brain Damage From Stroke
Scientists Find Potential
New Use for Spider Venom
new study

Scientists Find Potential New Use for Spider Venom

Poison from funnel web spider reduced brain damage in rats after strokes

(Newser) - Almost 6 million people die from a stroke each year, and although scientists aren't recommending spider bites to remedy that, the poison contained in one particular arachnid may fend off stroke-related brain damage, the Guardian reports. In a study published in the PNAS journal , Australian scientists discovered that just...

Boy Survives Spider Bite With Record Dose of Antivenom

The spider is now helping to replenish stocks

(Newser) - A 10-year-old boy in Australia survived a bite from one of the world's deadliest spiders thanks to a quick-thinking dad—and a record-breaking amount of antivenom. Matthew Mitchell was working with his father in a shed at their home around 60 miles north of Sydney when he was bitten...

What Makes Black Widows So Deadly


 What Makes 
 Black Widows 
 So Deadly 
study says

What Makes Black Widows So Deadly

They evolved quickly with same venom compounds as house spiders

(Newser) - Black widow spiders are known for their lethal venom, but just how did they get so deadly? Apparently by evolving quickly over the years during their pursuit of "ever-bigger prey," Discovery reports. According to a new study, black widows and house spiders have comparable toxic compounds in their...

Look Out Black Widow, Here Comes Brown Widow

Less toxic rivals may be taking over in West

(Newser) - Good news: You may now be slightly less likely to find a black widow spider hiding in your shoe. Researchers discovered that the deadly arachnid is being crowded out of swaths of its native US territory by a new creepy crawler to the scene—the brown widow, reports LiveScience . The...

Mystery Spiders Swarm Town, Leave 2 Dead

Indian town of Sadiya reels from arachnid invasion

(Newser) - Venomous spiders have swarmed the Indian town of Sadiya, killing two people and flooding hospitals with spider bite victims, the Global Post reports. The previously unknown species, which resembles the tarantula, crawled in about a month ago and wreaked havoc at a Hindu festival. A man and a schoolboy have...

Stung by a Scorpion? Mexico Will Save You

Despite 250 stings a year, US drug companies won't make anti-venom

(Newser) - With the United States having run out of scorpion anti-venom nearly 10 years ago, the FDA has just approved a Mexican-made treatment for scorpion stings, reports NPR . Although there are about 250 severe scorpion stings a year in the United States—mainly in the "Venom Belt" in the southwest—...

The Next Viagra Could Come From ... Spider Venom

One bite known to cause four-hour erections

(Newser) - One bite from the Brazilian wandering spider can cause loss of muscle control, difficulty breathing, and even death. But, good news! It can also cause four-hour-long erections, and that’s the side effect researchers are excited about. One of the toxins found in the spider’s venom causes priapism, “...

Killer Spiders Invade Sydney
 Killer Spiders Invade Sydney 

Killer Spiders Invade Sydney

Warm weather blamed for influx of funnel-webs

(Newser) - A heavy infestation of funnel-web spiders is giving Sydney residents the jitters. Experts say the spider—one of the deadliest and most aggressive in existence—is arriving in unusually large numbers because of warm and wet weather. The spider's bite can be fatal within two hours, although no Australians have...

Spider Venom the New Viagra
Spider Venom the New Viagra

Spider Venom the New Viagra

(Newser) - Men with erectile dysfunction may get an assist, believe it or not, from the Brazillian wandering spider—also dubbed the banana spider for its propensity to hide in bunches of the fruit. Researchers at Johns Hopkins have isolated a compound in the spider's deadly saliva that causes erections, der Spiegel...

11 Stories