Reptiles
Reptile urine crystals may inform future approaches to gout and kidney stones
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Scientists reporting in the Journal of the American Chemical Society examined solid urine from more than 20 reptile species and found tiny uric‑acid spheres that package waste while conserving water. The study, highlighted by the American Chemical Society and ScienceDaily, also suggests uric acid helps convert toxic ammonia into a less harmful solid, a mechanism that could guide future strategies against gout and kidney stones.
A new study of wild snakes in the southeastern United States has uncovered widespread infections from a fungal disease and lung parasites. Researchers found that many snakes carry multiple pathogens, with pygmy rattlesnakes facing particularly high risks.
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A new evolutionary analysis has shown that skin bones in reptiles developed independently across multiple lizard lineages rather than from a single ancestor. Researchers traced the trait over 320 million years using fossils and computational methods. Australian goannas stand out for losing the armor and then regaining it millions of years later.
Researchers in China have identified a previously unknown species of mountain lizard in the upper Dadu River Valley within the Hengduan Mountains of Sichuan Province. Named Diploderma bifluviale, the lizard features a distinctive wheat-colored tongue and thrives in semi-arid shrublands at high elevations. This finding highlights the region's understudied biodiversity.