The menacingly beautiful blue coral snake preys on other fast moving, venomous snakes. To immobilize its prey, this reptile employs a particularly nasty venom—one that makes the last moments of the victim’s life a living hell.
Back in the early 1960s, Dr Stewart Adams had a bad hangover. So he did what many a confident scientist of the time might do: he took a handful of an experimental drug he was working on. It worked—and the compound went on to become known as ibuprofen.
Earlier this month, an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend the approval of flibanserin, Sprout Pharmaceutical’s drug for women with persistently low sexual desire. The drug has a number of vocal critics, who believe that its side effects, relative to its modest effect, could be harmful for women.
One in ten Americans takes an anti-depressant drug like Zoloft or Prozac. These drugs have been shown to work in some patients, but their design is based on a so-called “chemical imbalance” theory of depression that is incomplete, at best.
Researchers at the University of Pisa, Italy, have solved a longstanding mystery around the honeycombed skull of one of the Italian martyrs beheaded by 15th century Ottoman Turk invaders when they refused to give up their Christian faith.
Too much caffeine, whether from coffee, tea, or energy drink, can ruin your day. Here's why your daily jolt makes you jittery, and what you can do to get rid of an unwanted buzz.
Meth's pop cultural relevance, and its prevalent use, might lead you to believe that it is a relatively modern creation. But the notoriously addictive stimulant was first synthesized in the late 1800s, from a plant commonly used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicines.
In books and movies, poisons are basically magic. It's kind of a letdown to read about deliciously evil poisons and then realize they're not nearly as potent in reality as they are in stories. Here are some myths about poison from pop culture — and the less impressive reality.
If there's an award for the most adorable prescription of the year, pharmacist Jeff Dodds of Watford City, North Dakota has this year's title on lockdown. And all it took was some creative labeling and a very sleepy six-year-old girl with a monster problem.
Those who have an eye on the fast-paced world of recreational pharmacology will probably have heard of kava. Kava (or kava-kava) is a plant, long known in the South Pacific, that induces a sense of relaxation. It also induces euphoria. And helps you diet. And acts as an effective anesthetic. How does it manage…
A 1955 experiment attempted to prove that spiders could be used to diagnose schizophrenia. Although upsetting for everyone involved, the experiment was even less pleasant for the spiders than it was for the humans.
Ever wonder what the best time is to drink your coffee? You probably know it is not a good idea to drink part of your daily dose of caffeine in the afternoon. Especially for those who have problems sleeping. But, do you ever drink your coffee and feel like it just didn’t work?
The creation of an effective and reversible male contraceptive method (that isn't the condom) is currently a hot research topic, as various institutes attempt to come up with a way of stopping sperm without doing any permanent harm. None of these attempts has yet resulted in a male pill, but now scientists have…
Spice, Blaze, K2, Red X Dawn. Any of them sound familiar? They're different brands of synthetic pot — psychoactive drugs (commonly marketed in head shops as incense) which contain chemicals that, much like the THC in marijuana, act on the cannabinoid receptors in your brain. Sounds peachy, right? There's a catch.…
