Studying spiders and scorpions is already a poorly rewarded job on its own- now imagine spending your life doing that while at the same time facing war and workplace discrimination. This is the story of Dr. Manal Siyam, who joined me in The Snakeman's Lair to talk about scorpion envenomation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as well as the taxonomy of scorpions and spiders. Powered by an undying love for these animals and passion for science, Dr. Siyam broke barriers as a woman and mother in science from her homeland of Sudan to Germany and now the United Arab Emirates. At the AMSAAL venom facility in Dubai, Dr. Siyam and her colleagues are now working to find new treatments and prevention for scorpion stings, paving the way for local scientists to reclaim the biodiversity of their homeland. To hear all about this and more, you need only tune in and meet us in The Snakeman's Lair!