A molecule in the venom of the Chinese red-headed centipede shows promise as a painkiller—potentially as effective as morphine. “There are a number of FDA-approved drugs derived from venom components currently on the market, with several more in clinical trials or various stages of preclinical development,” says professor Glenn King, from the University of Queensland’s …

Scientists have unlocked details of the brain’s “pain map” for the hand, and say the findings may shed light on the processes at work in chronic pain. “The results reveal that pain can be finely mapped in the brain,” says lead author Flavia Mancini of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. “While …