It may come as a surprise to learn that cats, like the rest of us, tend to favor one paw over the other — that is to say, their left or right. Who knew?
But now that you're aware of that interesting bit of trivia, you're probably wondering how to find out if your beloved pet is a righty or a lefty. (You'll be glad you did if you ever run across a good deal on golf clubs for cats, or something.)
Well, here to walk us through a simple experiment that will help reveal your kitty's dominant paw is Maru, one of the internet's most famous felines. All you'll need is a cup, a tasty morsel of food and a cat who's willing to join in. That last item, admittedly, might be the hardest to procure.
By inviting your cat to fish the treat out of the cup, you can tell which paw is the dominant one by seeing which side he or she uses.

Sure, anyone who's ever been on the receiving end of an angry cat's jab knows that they seem more than happy with using either paw in a pinch. But researcher Deborah Wells says that when it comes down to it, they really do seem to show a preference.
"The more complex and challenging [the task], the more likely we're going to see true handedness," she told New Scientist.
In an actual scientific experiment, similar to the one above, Wells and her colleague Sarah Millsopp at Queen's University Belfast found that handedness in the 42 cats they studied seemed to correspond with their sex. Male cats appeared to be more inclined to be lefties, and females, righties — though at least one male cat was ambidextrous. The reason why is still something of a mystery.
Source: The Dodo / Stephen Messenger

Opossums are known for their ability to withstand the bite of almost any kind of snake, and now a team of scientists from San Jose State University has managed to isolate a protein from the blood of the little critters that shows promise as an anti-venom.

Snakebites Are a Global Problem and Expensive to Treat
Poisonous snakebites are a significant problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), recent estimates suggest that over 420,000 venomous bites and 20,000 deaths from snakebite occur each year.

However, WHO warns that those numbers could be as high as over 1.8 million and 94,000, respectively, with the highest number of snakebites occurring in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.1

Snakebite treatment is costly and many people simply don’t have access to it. Most anti-venoms are created by injecting dilute venom into a mammal, which results in an immune response. The animal’s blood serum is then processed and made injectable for snakebite victims.

The injected serum scavenges toxic molecules in the bite victim’s blood. These treatments typically run $100 to $150 per dose, which is more than many people in developing countries can afford.

It’s Not Yet Known Exactly How the Opossum Protein Defends Against Snake Venom
In the San Jose State experiment, venom-exposed mice given the opossum peptide showed no ill effects from the poison, whereas untreated mice died within a matter of hours.

According to Claire Komives, study leader, “Basically, the venom was completely neutralized.”2

The mechanism by which the opossum peptide acts against snake venom is not fully understood. Most snake venom contains more than one toxin, so it seems unlikely the peptide works by binding to a single toxin. Komives theorizes the venom protein may bind to the opossum protein, rendering it no longer toxic.

Newly Discovered Antidote Could Cost Just $1 Per Dose
To create the antidote, the researchers had the protein chemically synthesized. They programmed E. coli bacteria to manufacture the first 11 amino acids of the protein that are known to keep opossums immune to snake venom. Use of E. colibacteria will also make the antidote inexpensive to produce in large quantities.

The researchers discovered that their antidote protected mice from the venom of the U.S. Western Diamondback rattlesnake, and also the deadly Russell’s viper native to Pakistan.

More research is needed to determine if the anti-venom will work in humans, and the process will have to be refined before the antidote becomes commercially available. But the researchers estimate each dose will cost $1 or less, which is a significantly savings over other anti-venoms.

Source: Healthy Pets / Dr. Becker