Research on venomous animals has mainly focused on the molecular, biochemical, and
pharmacological aspects of venom toxins. However, it is the relatively neglected broader …

Spiny-rayed fishes (Acanthomorpha) dominate modern marine habitats and account for
more than a quarter of all living vertebrate species. Previous time-calibrated phylogenies …

Difficult drug targets are becoming the normal course of business in drug discovery,
sometimes due to large interacting surfaces or only small differences in selectivity regions …

Reef stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa) is one of the most venomous fishes, but its biomedical
study has been restricted to molecular cloning and purification of its toxins, instead of high …

We report on the discovery of a remarkable defensive specialization in stonefishes that was
identified during a phylogenetic study of scorpionfishes and their relatives. This newly …

Millions of years of evolution have fine-tuned the ability of venom peptides to rapidly
incapacitate both prey and potential predators. Toxicofera reptiles are characterized by …

Surveys and analyses of anatomical characters have allowed researchers to describe a
wealth of anatomical features and contribute to our evolutionary understanding of fishes for …

Classification of the tremendous diversity of ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) began with the
designation of taxonomic groups on the basis of morphological similarity. Starting in the late …

Massive parallel sequencing allows scientists to gather DNA sequences composed of
millions of base pairs that can be combined into large datasets and analyzed to infer …

Venom systems have evolved on multiple occasions across the animal kingdom, and they
can act as key adaptations to protect animals from predators [1]. Consequently, venomous …