Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2023 July 6

= July 6 =

Snakes
Is it true that poisonous snakes will not bite human unless provoked?

Is there any natural way to identify poisonous snakes by looking? Vampswefg (talk) 10:37, 6 July 2023 (UTC)


 * AFAIK there's no way to identify a venomous snake from a harmless one. Where I live there are two commons snakes the European viper (venomous) and the Green whip snake; I tried to observe the scales on the head but it's tricky.-- Carnby (talk) 11:13, 6 July 2023 (UTC)
 * They may bite when they are startled, which can easily happen since they tend to blend in with their natural surroundings, which may be brush land. For that reason, it is commonly advised to not walk stealthily but make enough noise to make your presence known sufficiently in advance that the naturally shy snakes have the possibility to retreat. Some venomenous snakes, however, are known for not retreating and striking without being provoked, such as the Ottoman viper of Greece and Turkey. If you are an expert herpetologist, you may perhaps be able to identify the species or genus just by looking and thereby determine whether an individual is poisonous. Otherwise, no luck. Some sources will tell you that venomenous snakes have triangular heads and/or non-round eyes, but that works only for some specific geographic areas, such as here for Bluestone National Scenic River. There is no common visual characteristic of venomenous snakes in general. Just look at the non-triangular head and beautifully round eyes of the venomenous Malpolon insignitus. --Lambiam 11:13, 6 July 2023 (UTC)


 * One thing to keep in mind is that the snake might have a different idea of what "provoked" is, compared to what we think it might be. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:58, 6 July 2023 (UTC)


 * No. Australian tiger snakes will actively approach humans. I've never found out what they do if you don't get out the way. Greglocock (talk) 00:20, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes. I'm surprised that the aggressive nature of the Tiger snake isn't mentioned in our article. The Australian Museum] certainly acknowledges that attribute. HiLo48 (talk) 03:20, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * What is it with Australia and all these venomous critters? Seriously, it seems that in Australia everything tries ti kill you, from box jellyfish to spiders. Zarnivop (talk) 03:35, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Aussie creatures don't do anything halfway. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 09:26, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Zarnivop, you should try living in the temperate humid regions where most Australians do; we have heaps of animals here in Melbourne, and the only common ones that are any threat whatsoever are magpies. A small minority of them become territorial during the springtime nesting season, and swoop people, but they don't cause serious harm; they just want to force humans (which they view as threats) away from their nests.  People aren't seriously injured or killed in such incidents, except for the occasional person who sustains a significant injury while trying to avoid the bird, e.g. this unfortunate man who suffered a fatal bicycle accident.  Nyttend (talk) 23:35, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Sadly, like a murder of crows. But are any of the mapgies thieves? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:41, 8 July 2023 (UTC)
 * According to what looks to me to be a reputable source, "Contrary to perceived wisdom, tiger snakes are not aggressive, although they will bite if interfered with." A more balanced pronouncement is that, yes, they can definitely be aggressive, but only when they feel threatened. Many accounts state that they put up an impressive warning display before striking, which implies they are not attacking out of aggression just for the sake of it, but to defend themselves. --Lambiam 11:25, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I guess it's a matter of interpretation. I've had quite a few "meetings" with tiger snakes over the years. Many have just been of the form "Oh there's a snake over there", and we each head off in the separate directions we were already heading. Some, however, have been on more narrow trails, where the snake was stationery, enjoying the sunshine right in the middle of the trail. Such snakes hold their ground. They do not slither away on becoming aware of a person nearby. They will rear their head into an aggressive pose. No, they've never chased me, but they did retain control of the piece of the world they were in. I'm happy to live and let live. HiLo48 (talk) 11:40, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * If you were to step over it, it might perceive it as a threat even if you did not intend such. I recall Steve Irwin once said about crocodiles, "I love them, but they don't know that." The flip side to that is what got him killed. He was snorkling over a stingray and it fatally struck him. The flip side being, 'I'm not a threat to him, but he doesn't know that.' ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:02, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * If the snake was stationery, maybe it's time we exchanged our moleskines for snakeskines. :) --  Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  21:13, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Could that be produced on a large scale? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:24, 7 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Yes. They'd be perfect for poison pen letters. --  Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  23:46, 8 July 2023 (UTC)

Expired Antibiotics
Will they KILL you? Unfriendly Aliens (talk) 21:49, 6 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Most probably not - but expired ones may be less effective than designed and, as a result, they may lead to a faster development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (similar to an effect of underdosing antibiotics). --CiaPan (talk) 22:03, 6 July 2023 (UTC)

My Girlfriend's doc gave her some for a bug.Unfriendly Aliens (talk) 22:19, 6 July 2023 (UTC)
 * We can't give medical advice. Your girlfriend should discuss this with her doctor or consult a different doctor for a second opinion.  RudolfRed (talk) 22:59, 6 July 2023 (UTC)
 * A bug? Like, an insect? Zarnivop (talk) 03:33, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * 💊🦟? It would take a while eating that! But as said above what doesn't kill it would make it stronger. I'd be nice to it so it doesn't turn evil and want to kill your girlfriend or you after you did a reverse spiderman to it! NadVolum (talk) 09:14, 7 July 2023 (UTC)

🥰🥰🥰🥰Unfriendly Aliens (talk) 01:54, 7 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Doctors occasionally prescribe antibiotics, but I've never heard of one prescribing expired antibiotics, or of chemist's providing them. Maybe they made an error at the chemist's? PiusImpavidus (talk) 18:20, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I could be wrong, but in the US it is common for doctors to give patients "samples" they happen to have lying around, because they suspect that the patient may not fill the prescription due to embarrassment or poverty. In this case, it is possible that the "bug" is an STD. Abductive  (reasoning) 01:34, 8 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Normally I'd give a hard "No medical advice" response to this, which is precisely what should have been done here. But since some imprudent responses have suggested there is absolutely no danger in this practice, and the OP seems to have taken that answer and run with it, I feel compelled to step in here and warn this is not such a cut and dry issue and point out that this is exactly the worry when it comes to both providing and listening to these sort of healthcare hot takes. The fact of the matter is that while in most cases expiration leads to lower efficacy in a given drug, some of the few exceptions among modern pharmaceuticals are in fact antibiotics, some of which can cause kidney damage when past their expiration date.


 * So, please bear that in mind. You should really consult with another medical expert, rather than, bluntly, a group of randos on the Wikipedia reference desks, if you have concerns about a pharmaceutical.  As a general rule, I would tend to wonder about a contemporary physician who hands out expired drugs (or who gives out their own drugs in general if they don't run a compounding pharmacy as part of their practice).  I'm not going to say there's a zero chance that this physician is behaving ethically (as observed above, there are contexts where this sort of thing might be a very well informed provider passing along resources to an under-served community), but let's just say it is a little on the dodgy side, regardless.  I would follow your best instincts on whether you trust the doctor's legitimacy and ethics with regard to this practice, considering the entire context: you are better equipped to do that than anyone else here.  But again, if you have any doubts whatsoever, consult another doctor, healthcare authority, or pharmacist, or combination thereof.  Any of that is a better option than inquiring here.  As to my fellow respondents: please, I refuse to believe anyone here is unaware at this point that the behaviour of speculating on medical issues was long-ago precluded here.  People have been page-banned for it in the past.  SnowRise let's rap 07:06, 10 July 2023 (UTC)