Venom

When Kobe Bryant said he would forgo college and take his talents to the NBA the journey to greatness began. I think this is the only thing I didn't enjoy about Kobe Bryant's career when he was drafted 13th overall to the Charlotte Hornets then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. One can only imagine what would've happened to the legend of Hornets basketball if that move was never made, but I digress it's fun to dream. He quickly became a Hollywood star transforming the Lakers organization once…

Medal for Therapeutics of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London,” and “was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1969” (Science and Its Times; Encyclopedia of World Biography). After creating Penicillin, Chain also went on to research, “snake venoms, tumor metabolism, the mechanism of lysozyme action, the carbohydrate-amino acid relationship in nervous tissue, the mode of action of insulin, fermentation technology” along with many other research projects to improve the quality of life…

In 1994, it was rare, but in 1996 upgraded to vulnerable. (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources., n.d.). It survives in areas near streams, ponds and sloughs. And while venomous, their venom isn’t hazardous to people. They can grow to approximately five feet in length. They hibernate during the winter and start activity seeking burrows left by other small mammals above any threat of flooding in early fall. They emerge in mid spring…

lodged in their prey, or in cases with humans; skin, when pulled out can leave barbs imbedded in the skin. (Wikipedia) Their natural instinct as a defense mechanism is to sting, and this can be incredibly painful because of its agonizingly painful venom. (Bioexpedition) The venom’s symptoms can cause nausea, vomiting…

Venomous animals such as scorpions, snakes and sea anemones secrete bio-toxins which are vital in the regulation of ion channel activity. Envenomations induced by these animals cause a spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from mild cases such as local edema to severe ones such as intravascular hemolysis. In particular, marine snail, Conus geographus toxins such as μ–conotoxins GIIIA, GIIIB, and GIIIC affect the Nav channels. These toxins block current flow thereby reducing membrane…

kills large animals like water buffalo and deer. If not, it’s time that you did because there is a lot more than the Komodo Dragons bite to learn. For starters, the Komodo Dragons mouth isn’t full of bacteria. That is just a myth! It actually produces venom, like a poisonous snake. And, even though these reptiles are quite large, some growing up to 12 feet, they are actually in a dangerous place as far as a species. Scientists estimate that there are only roughly around 5000 Komodo left. Their…

manzanita berries They were very knowledgeable when it came to cooking their salmon. They smoked it, roasted it, or dried it for saving. The weapons they used consisted of bows and arrows or spears. Sometimes they poisoned an arrow with rattlesnake venom which was marked with a blue streak. They used these weapons to hunt animals for meat and skins. In the winter the men wore skins of buckskin (usually deer) and the women wore dresses made from deer, elk, or bear skin. In the warmer months…

spiders, scorpions, snakes, fish and cone snails) and plants express venoms for the purpose of defence or to capture prey, requiring a rapid and destructive influence on the nervous system. These toxins are promising candidates to treat a range of disorders. An area of primary focus is in the treatment of pain, for which…

The Wattle Cup caterpillar (Calcarifera ordinata) is a very poisonous insect. It has two spikes in the front and four in the back, and ones on each side of it. Poisonous means if a person were to touch those spikes, then venom would be injected into that body part causing severe pain. The wattle cup is a brightly coloured, greenish-yellow caterpillar with a red stripe on its back and a broad blue edging on each side of the stripe. Also, it has a blue band with red patches on each side of the…

metabolic energy. Ion channels are an important component of the nervous system as activation of these channels by neurotransmitters mediate conduction across nerve synapses. Ion channels also play a vital role in exerting cellular response to toxins and venoms. Various biological processes involving prompt changes in cells such as contraction of cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscles, activation of T-cells and release of hormones are also mediated through ion…