Reptile Waste Could Help Treat Human Illnesses

The natural world contains many remedies.

The latest discovery is about how reptile waste could help treat human illnesses.

Researchers analysed "pee crystals" that reptiles excrete to get rid of waste.

The crystals are a solid form of uric acid.

This is created when the body breaks down nitrogen in food.

It can be harmful.

Too much nitrogen can lead to health problems like kidney stones.

Our bodies flush uric acid waste away when we pass water.

In the study, a team of scientists who study reptiles and amphibians examined waste elimination processes of 20 reptile species.

The team focused on excess nitrogen that crystallised.

A researcher said the team's findings could help us understand and treat uric acid-related problems like kidney stones.

She said knowing how reptiles deal with nitrogen might lead to new approaches to disease prevention and treatment.