BRAZIL-ANIMAL-HEALTH-MEN

Scientist Marcia Helena Borges works on the research to develop a medicine to treat erectile dysfunction using banana spider venom at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, on September 21, 2023. Three decades ago, Brazilian researchers began studying a curious side-effect of the bite of the banana spider: the toxin left victims with priapism, a painful and persistent erection. They were inspired to develop a synthetic molecule using some properties of the spider's poison to create a gel to treat erectile dysfunction, which is now undergoing promising clinical trials. (Photo by Douglas Magno / AFP) (Photo by DOUGLAS MAGNO/AFP via Getty Images)