Venom Diagram (rebroadcast)

Big Picture Science

Science, Technology

4.6 • 986 Ratings

🗓️ 12 April 2021

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We all get defensive sometimes. For some animals, evolution has provided a highly effective mechanism for saying “back off!”. A puncture by a pair of venom-filled fangs gets the point across nicely. But one animal’s poison may be another’s cure. Some dangerous critters churn out compounds that can be synthesized into life-saving drugs. Meet the spiny, fanged, and oozing creatures who could help defend us against such illnesses as hypertension and kidney disease. Plus, the King of Pain - a scientist who has been stung by more than 80 species of insects in his pursuit of a better understanding of venom’s biochemistry. Find out which winged stinger scored the highest on his pain index. And, why the drug we need most may come from the quietest members of the biosphere: turning to plants for a new generation of antibiotics. Guests: Owen Maercks – Co-owner, East Bay Vivarium, Berkeley, California Justin Schmidt – Entomologist, University of Arizona, author of “The Sting of the Wild: The Story of the Man Who Got Stung for Science” Christie Wilcox – author of “Venomous: How Earth’s Deadliest Creatures Mastered Biochemistry” Cassandra Quave – Ethnobotanist, assistant professor of dermatology, herbarium curator, Emory University Originally aired October 3, 2016 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast.
0:05.0	The world is constantly changing and transforming.
0:09.0	Cut through some of the noise with What's New With Wired,
0:12.0	a podcast that goes in depth on the
0:14.5	latest news and technology and culture. Their award-winning journalism will
0:18.8	help you make sense of what's happening in the world. Listen to what's new with Wired wherever you get your podcasts.
0:25.7	That's What's New With Wired, wherever you get your podcasts.
0:30.4	The corporate world is like the ocean.
0:32.4	It's alluring, but it's also full of deadly creatures that can shred you to pieces.
0:36.5	It becomes kind of like a game of thrones political arena where everyone's trying to murder you to get your job.
0:42.9	My family doesn't come from corporate backgrounds,
0:44.8	so I didn't have any sort of guidance in that.
0:47.1	This is not your typical work podcast.
0:49.3	Sometimes you need to be empathetic.
0:51.0	And then there are times that you ask for input but you don't really
0:53.4	give a shit. Listen to the and the award-nominated podcast surfing corporate.
0:57.3	Stretch opportunity. What is it? Yovan class? Get out of here.
1:15.3	The world can be a hostile place and we need ways to defend ourselves from existential threats And I'm not talking about the traffic on the way here today
1:18.3	Although I got to say it was frightening
1:20.0	But the trip was worth it so we could see up close an example of a highly sophisticated defense system that while it might not protect us from ordinary drivers is effective just about everywhere else, there's biology.
1:33.7	Okay, Owen, what would this guy do if he got caught in a sticky situation?
1:38.1	Well, obviously he uses those incredibly big claws, which can draw blood, and he's got a stinger that's full of venom.
	...

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