US Scientists Synthetize Scorpion's Venom

A worker removes a scorpion from a plastic container for venom extraction to produce homeopathic medicine Vidatox at LABIOFAM, the Cuban state manufacturer of medicinal and personal hygienic products in Cienfuegos, Cuba, December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
A worker removes a scorpion from a plastic container for venom extraction to produce homeopathic medicine Vidatox at LABIOFAM, the Cuban state manufacturer of medicinal and personal hygienic products in Cienfuegos, Cuba, December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
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US Scientists Synthetize Scorpion's Venom

A worker removes a scorpion from a plastic container for venom extraction to produce homeopathic medicine Vidatox at LABIOFAM, the Cuban state manufacturer of medicinal and personal hygienic products in Cienfuegos, Cuba, December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
A worker removes a scorpion from a plastic container for venom extraction to produce homeopathic medicine Vidatox at LABIOFAM, the Cuban state manufacturer of medicinal and personal hygienic products in Cienfuegos, Cuba, December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

Researchers at Stanford University have managed to synthetize scorpions' venom, and said it contains two color-changing compounds that could help fight bacterial infection.

The team isolated the compounds in the scorpion's venom, synthesized them in the lab, and verified that the lab-made version of the venom killed staphylococcus and drug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria in tissue samples and in mice.

In their study published in the June 10 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers highlighted the potential pharmacological treasures awaiting discovery in the toxins of scorpions, snakes, snails and other poisonous creatures.

Study senior author Richard Zare, professor of chemistry at the Stanford group, said: "By volume, scorpion venom is one of the most precious materials in the world. It would costs $39 million to produce a gallon of it. If you depended only on scorpions to produce it, nobody could afford it, so it's important to identify what the critical ingredients are and be able to synthesize them."

Zare worked with his colleague Lourival Possani from the National University of Mexico. The milked the venom by stimulating the tail with electrical pulses, then, they noticed that the venom changed color, one of the compounds turned red when exposed to air, while the other turned blue.

The researchers said they only had 0.5 microliters of the venom to work with, but the analysis of the compounds helped them making the new version.



Ninth Citrus Festival to be Held in January in Saudi Arabia's Al-Hariq

The National Company for Agricultural Services has announced that registration is now open for farmers, beekeepers, and families working in the cottage industry - SPA
The National Company for Agricultural Services has announced that registration is now open for farmers, beekeepers, and families working in the cottage industry - SPA
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Ninth Citrus Festival to be Held in January in Saudi Arabia's Al-Hariq

The National Company for Agricultural Services has announced that registration is now open for farmers, beekeepers, and families working in the cottage industry - SPA
The National Company for Agricultural Services has announced that registration is now open for farmers, beekeepers, and families working in the cottage industry - SPA

The ninth citrus festival will be held in Saudi Arabia's Al-Hariq Governorate from January 1 to 10, 2025, showcasing a diverse range of citrus and other agricultural offerings.

The event will be held under the patronage of Governor of Riyadh Region Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz.
The National Company for Agricultural Services has announced that registration is now open for farmers, beekeepers, and families working in the cottage industry and wishing to participate in the festival; applications are accepted until November 28, SPA reported.
The annual event attracts a large number of visitors and plays a vital role in showcasing the governorate’s high-quality citrus, fostering community engagement, and promoting local produce by providing farmers with a platform to display their products.