New research suggests it’s time we start embracing spiders. At the University of Queensland, researchers found a particular compound called Hila in the venom of the Australian funnel-web spider that can prevent the production of an acidic condition in the brain that occurs when a person has a stroke. This influx of acidity can cause permanent cellular damage, but with a dose of Hila, the damage caused by a stroke can be reduced. When the substance was administered eight hours after the stroke, researchers still saw a 65 percent reduction in brain damage.