Spider venom may offer hope to stroke victims: scientists

A protein in the venom of potentially deadly funnel web spiders could minimise the effects of brain damage after a stroke, researchers in Australia said on Tuesday.Strokes claim six million lives worldwide each year, and five million survivors are left with a permanent disability.Scientists from the University of Queensland and Monash University said spider venom was always a good place to look for proteins to help in medical treatments as they have evolved to target the nervous systems of insec