logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
59m 32s

Special Episode: Snake Venom Evolution

Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
About this episode
Our snake venom episode last week took us down some fascinating roads, from the pathophysiological effects of these compounds to the snake detection hypothesis and from the development of antivenom to the incidence of snakebite around the world today. But how did we make it through that whole episode without discussing how and why these venoms evolved in the ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Ep 218 The Lowdown on Statins
Last week, we set the stage by breaking down the science behind cholesterol: how it moves through our body, why it causes disease, and when we discovered the link between LDL and atherosclerosis. This week, armed with that knowledge, we’re asking the big question: what do we do a ... Show More
1h 10m
Jul 28
Ep 217 The High Stakes of Cholesterol
So your latest blood test results have come in, and you see a couple of numbers for cholesterol. What do those numbers mean, and why do we care about them? In this first part of our cholesterol miniseries, we break down the science behind this compound and trace how we made the l ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 21
Ep 216 Cyclospora: Explosive Diarrhea Everywhere
You’ve seen the headlines: a food-borne parasite is infecting people across the US, leaving them chained to the toilet sometimes for weeks on end, as they are ravaged by wave after wave of gastrointestinal upset. What the heck is cyclosporiasis and where did it come from? How sca ... Show More
54m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2022
The venomous vendetta
Whilst watching a documentary about some poisonous frogs, Curio Janni in Amsterdam, started to wonder what would happen if a frog licked itself or another frog of the same species. She asks Dr Adam Rutherford and Professor Hannah Fry to investigate whether an animal would react b ... Show More
27m 20s
Sep 2025
Ep 163: A 39-Year-Old with a Snakebite
tail spinning
8m 58s
Aug 2007
Venoms and Toxins - Natures Arsenal
This week, mind reading children, scientists find a new gene in the lung cancer cocktail, and satnav or map-nav - what's greener? Plus we become biological weapons inspectors and explore nature's arsenal of venoms, poisons and toxins, including a scorpion's sting that can highlig ... Show More
1 h
Jul 2024
56. Snake Venom
tail spinning
22m 20s
Oct 2025
Mark O'Shea on close encounters with venomous snakes
How do you feel about snakes? What about highly venomous ones?For Mark O’Shea, close encounters with the world’s most rare and deadly snakes are not only his profession, but his passion. Mark is a Professor of Herpetology - the area of zoology focusing on reptiles and amphibians ... Show More
28m 28s
Dec 2022
Poison
It's said that the dose makes the poison, but that doesn't change the fact that some poison is just more poison-y than others. This week, we get a lethal dose of venomous knowledge!SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents to check out this episode wit ... Show More
39m 6s
Mar 2021
Snake Bite Cures: Weasels, Pigeons, Pee
Venomous snakes entranced medieval Europe. And although bites were rare, this didn’t stop 14th century doctors from using everything but the kitchen sink to make snake bite treatments. We’re talking weasels, birds — even the pee of a young man. So was it all for snakes and giggle ... Show More
5m 42s
Mar 2021
Science Vs Snakes
<p>More than 100,000 people die every year from snake bites. Snake venom can have up to 200 different toxins inside it and each toxin has a different horrible effect to your body. Some attack your muscles, while others attack your nerves. And sometimes two different toxins can wo ... Show More
37m 1s
Apr 2019
Why Don't Snakes Have Legs?
Some snakes still carry the genes necessary to grow legs -- so why don't they? Learn how snakes may have lost their legs, evolutionarily speaking, in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener fo ... Show More
4m 13s
Feb 2022
Tooth and Claw: Venomous snakes
Adam Hart discovers why rattlesnakes make good mothers and how deadly their venom is. There are over 600 different species of venomous snakes around the world with fearsome fangs delivering deadly venoms. Up to a third of the world’s population lives in fear of snakes, but are th ... Show More
27m 3s