logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2007
1 h

Venoms and Toxins - Natures Arsenal

THE NAKED SCIENTISTS
About this episode
This week, mind reading children, scientists find a new gene in the lung cancer cocktail, and satnav or map-nav - what's greener? Plus we become biological weapons inspectors and explore nature's arsenal of venoms, poisons and toxins, including a scorpion's sting that can highlight cancer, how funnel web spiders are helping farmers fight off insect pests, the marine cone snail that harbours a painkiller ten thousand times more powerful than morphine, and how a snake bite can help to prevent a heart attack. Meanwhile, in Kitchen Science, Ben samples a more everyday toxin - by making stinging... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Up next
Sep 18
AI poses biosecurity risk, and the ice that doesn't shatter
Coming up: lawmakers scramble to stop AI from being used to develop bioweapons. What has spooked the experts? Plus, we look at how childhood chemotherapy can leave genetic scars on organs, raising disease risk; why ultra-strong ice could soon be used as a construction material; a ... Show More
31m 53s
Sep 15
A super El Nino is on the way. What should we expect?
El Niño 2026 is predicted to be the strongest on record, and today we consider how the climate pattern can affect the weather, the economy, and our health. This episode features forecasting supremos Aidan McGivern and Peter Gibbs; leading economist Vicky Pryce on the impact on ou ... Show More
38 m
Sep 11
World-first baby skull surgery, and could AI kill us?
Coming up, we hear from the scientists behind a world-first treatment to reshape the skull of a one-year-old boy. How did they do it? Also ahead, an Anthropic researcher warns that AI is advancing so quickly that it may, with a slight chance, "kill all humans" within the next dec ... Show More
37m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
The power of venom -- and how it could one day save your life | Mandë Holford
Venom can kill ... or it can cure. From killer sea snails to platypuses and slow lorises, marine chemical biologist Mandë Holford shares her research into animal venom and explores its potential to one day treat human diseases like cancer. Although the mechanism behind this power ... Show More
9m 21s
Mar 2022
The power of venom -- and how it could one day save your life | Mandë Holford
Venom can kill ... or it can cure. From killer sea snails to platypuses and slow lorises, marine chemical biologist Mandë Holford shares her research into animal venom and explores its potential to one day treat human diseases like cancer. Although the mechanism behind this power ... Show More
9m 21s
Mar 2012
Genes and evolution - from populations to tumours
From whole populations to individual cancers, we're taking a look at genes and evolution. We're also talking about dogs and their diseases, shining a light on Van Gogh's sunflowers, and wondering whether the USB-sized DNA sequence is hope or hype. Plus we've got our gene of the m ... Show More
32m 40s
May 2022
Conotoxinology (CONE SNAIL VENOM) with Joshua Torres & Sabah Ul-Hasan
<p>Predatory. Sneaky. Deadly. Lifesavers? You think you don’t care about cone snails. But that’s about to change. Conotoxinologists Dr. Sabah Ul-Hasan and Dr. Joshua Torres study these spiral-shelled hunters of the sea. Why all the fuss? Because their venom -– and the microbes th ... Show More
1h 2m
Dec 2022
Poison
It's said that the dose makes the poison, but that doesn't change the fact that some poison is just more poison-y than others. This week, we get a lethal dose of venomous knowledge!SciShow Tangents is on YouTube! Go to www.youtube.com/scishowtangents to check out this episode wit ... Show More
39m 6s
Feb 2018
Ep 13 Don't Tread on my Monkshood: Crossover w/ IDOP
<p>What's the difference between a physician and a pretender, a magician and a poisoner? That's a question we'll try and answer in today's episode! We are very excited to bring you our first botanical poison crossover episode with our good friend Matt Candeias of the awesome podc ... Show More
1h 3m
Mar 2024
Venom, Bites, Snakes, Scorpions, Pain
Dr Michel Dugon and Dr JP Dunbar are experts in venomous creatures. Michel runs the Venom lab in the University of Galway, where he researches the effects of venom and its potential medical applications <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style=' ... Show More
1h 40m
Mar 2024
Poison
Brian Cox and Robin Ince delve into the murky world of historical poisonings. Joining them to add their drops of killer insight are comedian Hugh Dennis, chemist Andrea Sella and Agatha Christie aficionado and former chemist Kathryn Harkup. They find out just how easy poison was ... Show More
42m 25s