If you’ve ever owned a pet lizard or a snake, you’ve probably noticed that they don’t really “pee” like we do. Instead of liquid, they excrete chalky white pellets that look like bits of plaster. For ...

Reptiles and birds have evolved to expel nitrogenous waste in the form of solids, known commonly as urates, which are predominantly uric acid crystals. Having solid or semisolid urine helps the ...

Kidney stones can be excruciatingly painful in humans, but for birds and reptiles, peeing solids is just part of the daily grind. “This research was really inspired by a desire to understand the ways ...

It turns out that snakes might hold the secret to tackling one of humanity’s most painful problems, kidney stones. While reptiles have long been admired for their adaptability, scientists have now ...

Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the University of Southampton, and specializes in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment. Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the ...

Snake science and chemistry collide! These collaborators used chemical methods to analyze samples of snake pee solids, known as “urates.” And they found something that led them to an interesting ...