All posts tagged: scorpions

Scorpions reinforce their claws and stingers with metals

Scorpions reinforce their claws and stingers with metals

Published by skeptic

Scorpions fluoresce under ultraviolet light Erwin Niemand/Shutterstock Scorpions strengthen their claws and stingers with metal, effectively turning these weapons into the equivalent of a steel-capped boot. The use of metals to strengthen vulnerable body parts – such as teeth in vertebrates like Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) – is already known, and the areas of a scorpion that contain metals are visible as stains to the naked eye. Sam Campbell at the University of Queensland, Australia, and his colleagues examined the claws and stingers of 18 species of scorpion from around the world to determine the extent and composition of their metal reinforcements. The team used two different X-ray techniques and electron microscopy to examine the scorpions, enabling them to map the presence of three main metals – iron, zinc and manganese. They also found traces of a range of other elements, including copper, nickel, silicon, chlorine, titanium and bromine. The metals are largely found within the tips of the stingers and along the cutting edge of the claws, as well as in their mouth and …

Metal-reinforced scorpions evolved to kill

Metal-reinforced scorpions evolved to kill

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Scorpions are optimized hunters, whose skills have been honed through millions of years of evolution. An armored exoskeleton, strong pincers, a poisonous stinger—almost everything about their anatomy aids in either hunting insects, small mammals, and reptiles, or defending themselves from snakes and birds. But for years, entomologists were aware of a potential secret weapon in the arthropods’ biology: metallic reinforcements. Researchers previously detected trace metals in the exoskeletons of at least some of the estimated 3,000 known scorpion species. At the same time, experts were unsure about the distribution and concentration of these metals. “We knew that metals strengthen the weapons in some species’ arsenals, [but] we don’t know if all scorpions’ weapons contain metal,” Sam Campbell, an environmental scientist at Australia’s University of Queensland, explained in a statement. Back-scatter electron (BSE) scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the telson of The yellow-fat tailed scorpion (Androctonus australis). Similar contrast of enrichment is present in the telson (stinger), highlighting the presence …

Scorpions can pose a deadly threat to children – we’re identifying the global hotspots

Scorpions can pose a deadly threat to children – we’re identifying the global hotspots

Published by skeptic

For people living in temperate regions of Europe, the Americas and much of Asia, scorpion stings are rarely a concern. But for millions of children growing up across the subtropical belt, a scorpion sting can have devastating consequences. While snakebites are receiving increasing international attention and funding under the leadership of the World Health Organization, scorpionism (the medical term for illness caused by scorpion venom) remains under-reported, under-funded and under-researched. Worse still, this silent epidemic appears to be growing, fuelled by a combination of climate change, urbanisation, global trade and human encroachment into natural habitats. In Brazil, scorpion stings have tripled over the past decade, as scorpions settle in major cities around the country. In Sudan, the construction of the Merowe Dam in 2009 and the rapid development of gold mining complexes displaced scorpion populations into nearby settlements, triggering localised epidemics. In November 2021, torrential rains in Aswan, southern Egypt, drove thousands of deathstalker scorpions into homes and in the streets, injuring more than 450 residents and overwhelming local hospitals. Globally, at least 1.2 million …

Deadly scorpions are picky about their soil

Deadly scorpions are picky about their soil

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Scorpions sting between 1 and 2 million people every year, and while most victims only endure temporary pain and swelling, the injuries can still prove fatal. Researchers estimate that the predatory arachnids are responsible for the deaths of at least 3,000 children annually. Remote regions without access to lifesaving medical treatments face the biggest uphill battle, scorpions still remain an issue in urban regions like Morocco. Antivenom research is crucial to lowering the frequency of stings, but it’s also important to know where the most dangerous species are located and distributed. Of the over 2,000 different scorpions around the world, only around 100 are potentially lethal. Unfortunately, there is a lot more that scientists still need to learn about scorpion diversity and how to mitigate dangerous encounters. “Overall, we know very little about the ecology of scorpions, their venom and the best way to treat scorpion stings,” Michel Dugon, head of the University of Galway’s Venom Systems Lab, said …