Ever heard of a kind of snake that when it bites you, releases a neurotoxin so potent that it basically digests your nerve endings? Welcome to the Krait. I thought this was fascinating when I was doing my research for my latest news story for SciDev.net, about a new kind of rapid diagnosis dipstick test to identify the venom from different snakes if you have been bitten - the test for krait venom is under development. 

Another fascinating fact is that 60-90 per cent of snake bites (dependant on region) don’t result in injection with venom. Not all snakes are venomous, of course, and even those that are can choose whether or not to release their venom - they might prefer to save their venom for a tasty morstel of mouse or rat. 

Will we be eating meat grown in a lab in the future? Will it be the ethical choice? I consider the ins and outs of in vitro meat in a new Creatology blogpost on Scientific American.