Venom: Nature's killer - also used in developing medicines - NOVA

[BridgeTheGap]

Over the millennia, thousands of creatures have developed that most sophisticated of biological and chemical weapons: venom. These complex chemicals can scramble your brain signals, paralyze your muscles, puncture your blood cells, even begin digesting you from within. But nature's most potent toxins might also contain the keys to a new generation of advanced drugs. Such drugs might help doctors treat heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, and other serious illnesses. Follow NOVA crews as they join scientists on a dangerous quest to track down and capture the world's most venomous animals—to find out both how they can kill us, and how they can save us.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/venom-natural-killer.html

[theoldman]

1. I saw the program and it was very interesting.

My only experience was with a brown recluse spider. It took a long time to heal the hole in my leg.

[veganlush]

2. in the meantime...

the destruction of the rain forest, and even as yet undiscovered species, continues, mainly to provide grazing land to feed the meat-based diets of western civilization...

[BridgeTheGap]

4. That was brought up in the program. The researchers brought up the fact that with extinction of

venomous species, we are losing far more than we realize.

[veganlush]

5. awesome, I'm glad they covered that part.

...when i was young, a girl around the block from me died of leukemia. now long after, an alkaloid drug was discovered that made childhood leukemia mush more survivable. The drug was made from a rain forest plant called the Rosy Periwinkle. Using the plant, scientists were able eventually to synthesize the drug. The question is, how many more cures and treatment await discovery, and how many will never be discovered because of de-forestation, much of it due to the western style diet of meat-at-every-meal?

[veganlush]

6. thanks for posting this important story!...n/t

[damntexdem]

3. Poisons, because they affect the body, often can have medicinal uses.

A great many medicines have been developed based originally on poisons.

Although I don't think that cyanide has been among them -- though I could be wrong.