Everyone knows that getting stung by a jellyfish hurts. However did you know that getting stung by a Box Jellyfish could potentially kill you as well, or at least if you aren’t treated quickly? In fact it has been suggested that the number of people dying from Box Jellyfish stings a year is greater than those killed by sharks.

So much so much that researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa are working on developing a first aid treatment for such situations. So how do they know how effective their treatment is? Obviously getting stung and then testing it out is probably the worst idea ever, so what they have done is create synthetic skin along with blood to test out their cures.

The skin is made from red blood cells encased in agarose gel, and then covered by a lanolin-rubbed sterile porcine intestine. According to Angel Yanagihara, lead author of the paper, “What we needed were innovative models which would allow us to test how different options might affect the severity of a sting without putting anyone at risk. So we designed a set of experiments using live, stinging tentacles and live human red blood cells which allowed us to pit first-aid measures against one another.”

They tested out various homebrew methods and discovered that a vinegar and hot water combination proved to be the most effective. So the next time you get stung by a jellyfish, know that peeing on it might not be as effective compared to a hot water and vinegar combo.

Filed in Medical. Read more about .

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