Scientists previously thought that microbes such as bacteria cannot thrive in snake and spider venom, despite them having lived in the most inhospitable places on Earth. However, a new discovery suggests otherwise.
Bacteria are resourceful little organisms. They can live in some of the weirdest, most inhospitable places on our planet – arid deserts, toxic acidic lakes, even deep in Earth s crust below the ocean floor.
Contrary to what is commonly believed, the venom of snakes and spiders is actually populated with microbes, including bacteria that could cause infection in people who have suffered a bite, a recent study shows.