Venom is scary but holds promise for medical treatment
An exhibit now showing at the California Academy of Sciences explores a substance most of us would rather avoid: venom.
The painful and sometimes fatal chemical found in many animals is the dark side of nature; creatures inject it into victims to keep from being killed or to subdue their prey.
But “Venom: Fangs, Stingers, and Spines” is not all bad news. The chemistry found in snakebites, for example, can lower blood pressure and researchers are finding more medicinal spinoffs from the compounds found in these toxic secretions.
Venom is defined as any poisonous compound secreted by an animal intended to harm or disable another. The substance must be injected into the victim from a stinger like a bee or sharp fangs like those found in snakes. As with so much in nature there are exceptions such as spitting snakes that can transmit deadly liquids by spitting it into the eyes of prey.
Many people use the term poisonous incorrectly to describe venomous creatures. Poisonous animals must be eaten or otherwise ingested to cause harm.
To date, between 175,000 and 200,000 venomous creatures have been identified by science. They run the gamut from spiders and scorpions, sea snakes and their terrestrial kin and even one species of octopus.
The exhibit contains a variety of venomous creatures including a jellyfish, spider, a nest of bees and even coral. It also mentions research into cures that are being found by bio medical researchers exploring the chemistry of venom.
“There are things about venom that are being explored for a wide range of therapeutics including pain killers, nervous system disorders or infections that have become resistant to traditional antibiotics,” said Lauren Esposito, an academy entomologist who is featured in the exhibit.
For more on Lauren, visit Meet the Scientists
The painful and sometimes fatal chemical found in many animals is the dark side of nature; creatures inject it into victims to keep from being killed or to subdue their prey.
But “Venom: Fangs, Stingers, and Spines” is not all bad news. The chemistry found in snakebites, for example, can lower blood pressure and researchers are finding more medicinal spinoffs from the compounds found in these toxic secretions.
Venom is defined as any poisonous compound secreted by an animal intended to harm or disable another. The substance must be injected into the victim from a stinger like a bee or sharp fangs like those found in snakes. As with so much in nature there are exceptions such as spitting snakes that can transmit deadly liquids by spitting it into the eyes of prey.
Many people use the term poisonous incorrectly to describe venomous creatures. Poisonous animals must be eaten or otherwise ingested to cause harm.
To date, between 175,000 and 200,000 venomous creatures have been identified by science. They run the gamut from spiders and scorpions, sea snakes and their terrestrial kin and even one species of octopus.
The exhibit contains a variety of venomous creatures including a jellyfish, spider, a nest of bees and even coral. It also mentions research into cures that are being found by bio medical researchers exploring the chemistry of venom.
“There are things about venom that are being explored for a wide range of therapeutics including pain killers, nervous system disorders or infections that have become resistant to traditional antibiotics,” said Lauren Esposito, an academy entomologist who is featured in the exhibit.
For more on Lauren, visit Meet the Scientists
