The natural world contains a yet-to-be-discovered, untapped bounty of remedies to help doctors. The latest discovery comes from researchers from Georgetown University and other research institutions in the USA. They believe their exploration of how reptiles excrete waste could help treat human ailments. The scientists analysed the tiny "pee crystals" that reptiles use in place of urine to excrete waste. The crystals are a solid form of uric acid, which is a potentially harmful by-product created when the body breaks down nitrogen in food. Too much nitrogen in our bodies can lead to health problems like gout and kidney stones. Our bodies flush most of the uric acid waste away when we pass water.

The study is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. A team of organic chemists and herpetologists (scientists who study reptiles and amphibians) examined the excreta and waste elimination processes of more than 20 reptile species. They focused their attention on the excess nitrogen that crystallised into tiny microcrystals. Researcher Dr Jennifer Swift believes the team's findings could help us better understand and treat uric acid-related problems like gout and kidney stones. She said: "This research was really inspired by a desire to understand the ways reptiles are able to excrete this material safely, in the hope it might inspire new approaches to disease prevention and treatment."