Scorpions sting between 1 and 2 million people every year, and while most victims only endure temporary pain and swelling, the injuries can still prove fatal. Researchers estimate that the predatory arachnids are responsible for the deaths of at least 3,000 children annually. Remote regions without access to lifesaving medical treatments face the biggest uphill battle, scorpions still remain an issue in urban regions like Morocco.
Antivenom research is crucial to lowering the frequency of stings, but it’s also important to know where the most dangerous species are located and distributed. Of the over 2,000 different scorpions around the world, only around 100 are potentially lethal. Unfortunately, there is a lot more that scientists still need to learn about scorpion diversity and how to mitigate dangerous encounters.
“Overall, we know very little about the ecology of scorpions, their venom and the best way to treat scorpion stings,” Michel Dugon, head of the University of Galway’s Venom Systems Lab, said in a statement.
Dugon is working with an international team of researchers to design new methods and programs to help lower the rate of global scorpion stings. Their latest project, as detailed in a study published today in the journal Environmental Research Communications, focuses on identifying and mapping areas where the world’s most venomous scorpions not only live, but thrive.
By combining years of field observations with a computer modeling tool, Dugon’s team pinpointed an unexpected indicator for most scorpion habitats. Although temperatures and other seasonal shifts influence the distribution of some species, the majority of the arachnids determine their homes based on soil type. Although the case study focuses on Morocco given its infamy for scorpion stings, researchers believe the mapping approach can be adapted for other regions.
“The findings could save lives. By pinpointing where dangerous scorpions are most likely to appear, health authorities can target awareness campaigns, train frontline medical staff, and focus community prevention in high-risk areas, especially protecting children,” Dugon said. “The approach can be applied wherever scorpions pose a threat, from Brazil to the Middle East and India.”
The post Deadly scorpions are picky about their soil appeared first on Popular Science.
from Popular Science https://ift.tt/3KwZgB9
0 Comments