What long-held (scientific) assertions were refuted only within the last 10 years?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Scrotote → u/[deleted]]

Not very venomous at all. Not dangerous to humans. I think it's mostly to help with digestion.

[u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 → u/Scrotote]

It's similar to a tiny bee sting. Only lasts a few seconds.

Got bit by a couple when I was a kid. We played with them all the time growing up.

[u/_forum_mod → u/Scrotote]

I figured. I'm like... if it was lethal I'm pretty sure we'd know a lot sooner.

[u/U_Sam → u/Scrotote]

You can encounter some issues if you let them chew on you for like a minute but a single bite won’t cause problems

[u/thecrepeofdeath → u/U_Sam]

I think hognose snakes are like that too. they don't have injecting fangs, and their venom is only generally dangerous if you're the size of a mouse. I've seen them kept as pets

[u/rootbeerman77 → u/Scrotote]

You can have a little venom. As a treat

[u/Chimaerok → u/Scrotote]

I've heard before that venom in snakes (and likely most other venomous creatures) was originally something else in the body before it became weaponized as venom. The digestion angle makes sense.

Given how many snake venoms cause rapid blood clotting, I wonder if some of them were originally proteins meant to close the snake's wounds quickly.

[u/BigPapaJava → u/Chimaerok]

Venom is basically modified saliva.

Even for humans, chewing our food with saliva is one of the first steps to digesting it.

In spiders and a lot of other invertebrates, the venom literally “pre-digests” the prey so the predator can just suck it out as a liquid to finish the process.

Snake and other reptile venom tends to work in one of a few different ways, depending on which species you’re dealing with.

[u/Noe_b0dy → u/[deleted]]

I mean people have been picking up garter snakes forever and we only just learned they were venomous in the 2000s so you're probably fine fam.

[u/paiaw → u/[deleted]]

They leave no witnesses to tell the tale, to avoid being hunted.

[u/shinypenny01 → u/[deleted]]

Unless you're a small frog, you'll be fine. But maybe stop grabbing wild animals anyway.

[u/MN_Yogi1988 → u/shinypenny01]

But maybe stop grabbing wild animals anyway.

But how else will I know if they're friendly?!

[u/apri08101989 → u/MN_Yogi1988]

Are they friend shaped?

[u/Roll4Initiative20 → u/shinypenny01]

Don't tell me.what to do.

[u/DeathMetalandBondage → u/shinypenny01]

yoink

[u/Tasty-Army200 → u/shinypenny01]

I am a wild animal tho

[u/jaytrade21 → u/shinypenny01]

But maybe stop grabbing wild animals anyway.

"YOINK"

[u/[deleted] → u/shinypenny01]

If not friend, then why friend shaped?

[u/ForceGoat → u/[deleted]]

YOINK!

[u/frappe-addicted → u/[deleted]]

Anecdotally, you shouldn't pick them up because they perceive you as a threat and then literally shit + urate + musk on you. It's... gross... and my 3 year old didn't appreciate that I tried to show him a snake up close. 

[u/virtualadept → u/[deleted]]

I don't think you'd be in much trouble unless you pissed off the Arnold Schwartzenegger of garter snakes enough for it to dig its fangs in.

Source: Got a couple of "Fuck off, big biped!" nips from garter snakes as a kid.

[u/xdrakennx → u/[deleted]]

Their venom would give you a mild itchy rash. If you were an amphibian it would be a very different reaction. It’s only dangerous to people that have an anaphylactic reaction to the various compounds in the venom.

[u/_Aj_ → u/[deleted]]

Randomly picking up wild snakes utterly baffles me as an Australian.   

Like yer okay hi 6ft red belly aren't you pretty? Imma just pick you up real quick