Disentangling a genome-wide mosaic of conflicting phylogenetic signals in Western Rattlesnakes.

Species tree inference is often assumed to be more accurate as datasets increase in size, with whole genomes representing the best-case-scenario for estimating a single, most-likely speciation history with high confidence. However, genomes may harbor a complex mixture of evolutionary histories among loci, which amplifies the opportunity for model misspecification and impacts phylogenetic inference. Accordingly, multiple distinct and well-supported phylogenetic trees are often recovered from genome-scale data, and approaches for biologically interpreting these distinct signatures are a major challenge for evolutionary biology in the age of genomics.

Raptors without resistance: No evidence for endogenous inhibition of rattlesnake venom metalloproteinases in a Great Plains raptor assemblage.

Snake venoms are complex biochemical secretions under strong selection for prey subjugation, and venoms are tightly linked to the biotic communities that snakes inhabit. Physiological adaptations for venom resistance have been identified in various snake prey species, but fewer snake predators, with research in this area largely biased towards mammalian species. Fewer investigations have assayed for the presence of resistance mechanisms in avian systems.

De novo designed proteins neutralize lethal snake venom toxins.

Snakebite envenoming remains a devastating and neglected tropical disease, claiming over 100,000 lives annually and causing severe complications and long-lasting disabilities for many more. Three-finger toxins (3FTx) are highly toxic components of elapid snake venoms that can cause diverse pathologies, including severe tissue damage and inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, resulting in life-threatening neurotoxicity. At present, the only available treatments for snakebites consist of polyclonal antibodies derived from the plasma of immunized animals, which have high cost and limited efficacy against 3FTxs.

Climatic temperature and precipitation jointly influence body size in species of western rattlesnakes.

Both the metabolic theory of ecology and dynamic energy budget theory predict that climate influences body size through its effects on first-order determinants of energetics: reactive temperatures, carbon resources and oxygen availability. Although oxygen is seldom limiting in terrestrial systems, temperature and resources vary spatially. We used redundancy analyses and variation partitioning to evaluate the influence of climatic temperature, precipitation and their seasonalities on multivariate body size across the distributions of four species of the western rattlesnake group in North America (, , and ).

designed proteins neutralize lethal snake venom toxins.

Snakebite envenoming remains a devastating and neglected tropical disease, claiming over 100,000 lives annually and causing severe complications and long-lasting disabilities for many more. Three-finger toxins (3FTx) are highly toxic components of elapid snake venoms that can cause diverse pathologies, including severe tissue damage and inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) resulting in life-threatening neurotoxicity. Currently, the only available treatments for snakebite consist of polyclonal antibodies derived from the plasma of immunized animals, which have high cost and limited efficacy against 3FTxs.