COVID vaccine tech could limit snakebite venom damage

The same technology used in COVID-19 vaccines could help prevent muscle damage from snakebites, according to a study published in Trends in Biotechnology.

Scientists tested whether mRNA technology could be used to protect against the damage caused by the venom of the Bothrops asper snake, found in Central and South America. This snake's venom destroys muscle tissue, often leaving victims with permanent disabilities even after receiving standard treatment.

The research team wrapped specific mRNA molecules in tiny fat particles that, when injected into muscle, teach cells to produce protective antibodies, preventing venom damage. The treatment could significantly limit the injury and impacts caused by snakebites, which kill around 140,000 people worldwide and cause 400,000 permanent disabilities each year.

For the first time, the scientists have shown that mRNA technology can protect muscle tissue from snake venom-induced damage. This opens a completely new door for treating snakebites, particularly the local injuries that current antivenoms struggle to prevent.

Trends in Biotechnology (2025). doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.10.017

Lab-grown diamond coatings shown to prevent mineral scale in industrial pipes

Lab-grown diamond coatings, particularly those with nitrogen-terminated surfaces, significantly reduce mineral scale formation in industrial pipes by creating a water barrier that inhibits mineral ion attachment. These coatings outperform traditional treatments, are durable, and can be applied cost-effectively, offering broad potential for water and energy systems.

Xiang Zhang et al, Nitrogen-Terminated Diamond Films for Antiscaling Coatings, ACS Nano (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c13554

Research measures how much plastic is lethal for marine life

Marine animals inevitably eat what we put deliberately or unintentionally in the ocean, including pervasive plastics—but how much is too much?

The bar is low, according to a new study out this week: less than three sugar cubes worth could kill birds like Atlantic puffins, for example.

That threshold "is much smaller than scientists expected". 

The paper, published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, saw researchers analyze necropsies from more than 10,000 animals in a bid to model how different types of plastic can affect marine life, and at what point the dose turns lethal.

Scientists pulled the necropsy results from dozens of studies and other databases across the globe, using data in which cause of death and plastic consumption information was known. The animals generally were stranded on beaches or otherwise incidentally caught.

Researchers modeled the relationship between plastics ingested and likelihood of death, according to total pieces consumed as well as the volume eaten relative to the size of the animal's digestive tract.

They also examined how different types of plastic affect different types of animals. Seabirds, for instance, were particularly impacted by rubber and hard plastics.

Just six pieces, each smaller than a pea, were 90% likely to cause death in those birds, according to the study.

Sea turtles faced considerable risk from soft plastics like bags.

Those items were also especially deadly for marine mammals, as was fishing gear.

What is worse is half of the individual animals were from species listed as threatened, vulnerable or endangered.

Murphy, Erin L., A quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2415492122. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2415492122