A bizarre discovery in snake urine could change medicine

It may surprise you to learn that, instead of urinating a liquid, many animals — such as snakes — release solid white crystals composed of uric acid.

A recent study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, analyzed the solid waste of more than 20 species of reptiles and found uric acid spheres in all samples.

This discovery helps understand how reptiles safely eliminate waste in a crystalline state — and could, in the future, lead to new ways of treating human diseases related to the build up of uric acid, such as kidney stones and gout.

For reptiles, transforming waste into crystals is an adaptation that prevents dehydration. But in humans, uric acid crystals cause painful health problems. When uric acid levels become too high, it can crystallize in the joints and cause gout, or form kidney stones in the urinary tract, explains .