By Stephen Beech

Crystals "peed" by snakes could hold the key to treating kidney stones and gout in humans, say scientists.

Researchers investigated the solid urine of more than 20 reptile species and found spheres of uric acid in all of them.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society . reveals how snakes and other reptiles uniquely package and eliminate crystalline waste.

Scientists say their findings could lead to better treatments for human conditions that also involve uric acid crystals, such as kidney stones and gout.

The research team explained that, in humans, excess nitrogen in the form of urea, uric acid and ammonia are flushed out in the urine.

But many reptiles and birds package up some of the same nitrogen-containing chemicals into solids -

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