The cone snail looks harmless enough: a beautifully patterned shell that a beachcomber might pocket without a second thought. Yet several of the roughly 800 species in the group are among the most ...

When it comes to research on venom and converting it into useful drugs, studies involving exotic snakes or brightly colored frogs seem to attract the most attention. However, one of the most promising ...

The textile cone snail is a beautiful but dangerous creature. Its venom can paralyze or even kill. Scientists are studying the venom's unique toxins. These toxins may lead to new painkillers and ...

Those who fly to tropical shores this Christmas in search of sea and sun may be unaware that an exotic shell picked from the beach could potentially bring relief to many thousands of people suffering ...

Cone snails have inspired humans for centuries. Coastal communities have often traded their beautiful shells like money and put them in jewelry. Many artists, including Rembrandt, have featured them ...

Beneath the clear tropical waters lurks one of the ocean’s most dangerous creatures — the Geographer Cone Snail (Conus geographus). Its beautifully patterned, intricately marbled shell conceals a ...

Beach visitors are being warned not to touch or pick up a particular type of shell known as the cone snail, as its venom is powerful enough to cause instant paralysis and, in severe cases, even death.

They are colourful and intriguing but these little blighters are among the most venomous creatures on Earth BEACHGOERS are being urged not to pick up a certain type of shell as its venom can cause ...