The Latest Breaking News from Christina N Zdenek

‘Super antibodies’ for snake toxins: how a dangerous DIY experiment helped scientists make a new antivenom

Scientists in the United States have created a new snake antivenom using the blood of a man who deliberately built up immunity to snakebites by injecting himself with many different kinds of venom more than 800 times over 18 years.

The Conversation · May 3, 2025

Snakes can hear you scream, new research reveals

Experts have long understood that snakes can feel sound vibrations through the ground – what we call “tactile” sensing – but we’ve puzzled over whether they can also hear airborne sound vibrations, and particularly over how they react to sounds.

The Conversation · Feb 15, 2023

Here's how we track down and very carefully photograph Australia's elusive snakes

Environmental scientists see flora, fauna and phenomena the rest of us rarely do. In this series, we’ve invited them to share their unique photos from the field.

The Conversation · May 19, 2022