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A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has discovered that humans – along with all other mammals and reptiles – have the biological capacity to develop venomous spit.
While it's highly unlikely that we'll be spitting streams of potentially fatal liquid anytime soon, the study says that salivary glands in humans have a link with venom glands in animals such as cobras and vipers.
This leads to the theory that with the right conditions, animals such as mice could possibly evolve to become venomous.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and the Australian National University, and involved the studying of certain genes related to saliva glands and venom glands.
Studying the venom glands of the Habu – a pit viper endemic to certain parts of Asia, the team identified over 3,000 genes, which they discovered produce a high number of proteins called kallikreins as a protection mechanism whenever cells became stressed.
IMAGE: ThoughtCo
The team then contrasted these genes against other similar genes found in various mammals including humans, chimpanzees, and dogs, and found that the genes from the tissue of mammals acted similarly to those found in the snake's venom glands.
This all led to the study's lead author Agneesh Barua claiming that that "this is the first real solid evidence for the theory that venom glands evolved from early salivary glands", and that the findings confirmed something that other scientists have intuitively believed to be true for quite a while.
"While snakes then went crazy, incorporating many different toxins into their venom and increasing the number of genes involved in producing venom, mammals like shrews produce simpler venom that has a high similarity to saliva," he explained.
Barua also referenced experiments from the 1980s where male mice were found to produce compounds in their saliva that – when injected into rats – are highly toxic.
"If under certain ecological conditions, mice that produce more toxic proteins in their saliva have better reproductive success, then, in a few thousand years, we might encounter venomous mice," he said.
Can humans become (literally) toxic?
But as for us, Barua explained that should the conditions be fulfilled, humans could yet find themselves evolving to have venomous glands. It all depends on having the right ecological circumstances, like how the need to subdue prey ended up causing many species of snakes to genetically develop venom glands.
"If people need to be venomous to survive, we could potentially start seeing increasing doses on kallikreins, he joked.
But while the idea of humans ever evolving to have venomous glands seems a little far-fetched, there is evidence of humans still evolving new traits that may keep such a possibility alive.
For example, there is proof that human bones have become considerably lighter and less dense since the advent of agriculture, while another study has shown human body temperatures as getting lower due to the lack of chronic diseases that were rampant in the 19th century.
Studies have found that fewer humans are being born with wisdom teeth. IMAGE: Oral and Maxillofacial Associates
And finally, a recent study also discovered that fewer humans are being born with wisdom teeth possibly due to the availability of food products that are easier to process in the mouth.
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Cover image sourced from BioVox and asierromero via Freepik.
