Sex Role–Dependent Behavioral and Architectural Divergence in a Jumping Spider

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  Sex Role–Dependent Behavioral and Architectural Divergence in a Jumping Spider ABSTRACT Sex differences in behavior and functional traits are often attributed to differences in mating effort intensity, but the role of sex-specific parental demands remains poorly understood. Using the jumping spider Toxeus maxillosus —where males engage in mate searching and courtship without providing parental care, while females provide extended maternal care from egg attendance to offspring maturity (around 3 months)—we conducted an exploratory investigation into whether these distinct selective pressures led to divergence in spatial behaviors and nest architecture. Results revealed that males and females showed equivalent accuracy, latency, and learning-related performance in both a route-planning test under water stress and a color-pattern associative memory task. In contrast, during nest-construction assays, females built complex, multi-entrance structures that closely matched the container'...

Scorpion Venom Peptides in Ophthalmology: Insights from the Babylonian Talmud

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Scorpion Venom Peptides in Ophthalmology: Insights from the Babylonian Talmud

Abstract

Historical medical texts can reveal overlooked therapeutic approaches relevant to modern ophthalmology. This perspective revisits a remedy from the Babylonian Talmud prescribing a mixture of scorpion and kohl for an eye condition called buruqti (also transliterated as beroketi), traditionally translated as cataract. Through philological, zoological, and pathological analysis, we argue that buruqti likely refers to a corneal or conjunctival lesion rather than a true lens opacity. The description within the remedy of the scorpion’s “seven-beaded tail” is interpreted symbolically within the cultural and mystical framework of Late Antiquity. This ancient preparation, while not adopted in later medical texts, raises intriguing possibilities for the use of arachnid venom peptides in ocular disease. These peptides possess antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and anti-angiogenic properties with emerging potential for treating inflammatory and degenerative eye disorders. This article highlights the intersection of historical scholarship and modern biomedical research, suggesting that ancient remedies can inspire novel pharmacological strategies. We thereby aim to expand the conceptual horizons of ophthalmic drug discovery and encourage exploration of venom-derived peptides as next-generation therapeutics.
In an era of renewed interest in immunomodulatory therapies, ophthalmology may find unexpected inspiration in ancient sources. A remedy in the Babylonian Talmud combining scorpion and kohl for an eye condition therefore invites biomedical analysis. This article explores its philology, zoology, pathology, and relevance to modern ocular drug discovery. No prior analysis has combined philological review with pharmacological feasibility assessment of arachnid venom in ophthalmology.
The Babylonian Talmud is a vast compilation of rabbinic debate and interpretation, spanning topics from Jewish law and ethics to theology and medicine. It comprises 37 tractates grouped into six divisions (or ‘orders’), each tractate examining a specific legal or ritual subject. Within a tractate named Gittin lies a self-contained book of remedies, thought to preserve earlier Akkadian medical material likely dating to the 3rd century AD.1 Consequently, the Talmud represents the most comprehensive medical corpus within ancient Judaism.2 One entry in Gittin 69a (Figure 1) prescribes treatment for a condition named buruqti (ברוקתי), alternatively transliterated as beroketi. This term is explained by the leading rabbinical commentator, Rashi, as an eye disease colloquially known in his native Old French as toile (טייל״א).3 He explains elsewhere this is a type of curtain fabric, hence a metaphor for a physical or visual membrane.4

Maskill, D., & Blizzard, R. M. (2025). Scorpion Venom Peptides in Ophthalmology: Insights from the Babylonian Talmud. American Journal of Ophthalmology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2025.08.054