// NATURE NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA
Rattlesnakes’ own anti-venom could protect humans too
Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) blood contains proteins that can staunch bleeding and prevent tissue degradation. Credit: Rolf Nussbaumer/Nature Picture Library
Globally, snakebites kill 80,000 to 140,000 people a year and lead to around 400,000 disabilities. Because many people who are bitten live in rural areas, there is insufficient access to antivenom. To find a solution, Sean Carroll at the University of Maryland in College Park and his colleagues decided to look into how snakes protect themselves against their own venom1.
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Carroll, S. B. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 123, e2612168123 (2026).
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