In the 1990s, scientists studying the Gila monster discovered it can survive on one meal per month.
They created a synthetic version of this lizard’s spit and turned it into the most important drug of the 21st century: semaglutide.
You likely know it as Ozempic or Wegovy. Semaglutide was originally invented as a diabetes treatment. But it’s morphed into a medical Swiss Army knife tackling every modern health nightmare.
First, we discovered semaglutide melts fat off waistlines. When future historians write about 2024, they might mark it as the year humanity first gained control over obesity.
In a slew of recent trials, doctors discovered semaglutide also: Treats Alzheimer's, staves off Arthritis, reduces heart attacks and strokes, suppresses addiction, and lowers the risk of developing kidney, pancreatic, ovarian, liver, and colorectal cancers.
Semaglutide is proving to be a reset button for human health, helping people drink less alcohol and reduce drug addictions too. It's rewiring the brain’s reward system, helping people find less pleasure in harmful substances and behaviors.
This “miracle in a syringe” will reshape entire societies. Imagine what America would look like if it were thinner and less diabetic.
How might communities change if addiction became more treatable? All from a curious investigation into the saliva of a desert lizard!