Volcanoes. Trees. Drunk butterflies. Mars missions. Slug sex. Death. Beauty standards. Anxiety busters. Beer science. Bee drama. Take away a pocket full of science knowledge and charming, bizarre stories about what fuels these professional -ologists' obsessions. Humorist and science correspondent Alie Ward asks smart people stupid questions and the answers might change your life.
Conotoxinology (CONE SNAIL VENOM) with Joshua Torres & Sabah Ul-Hasan
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 that live in it — may hold medical magic that can help us solve problems related to pain and insulin and much more. Also: how long can you live after a cigarette snail strikes you? What happens to researchers who get stung? How is venom harvested? Should you ever pick one up? The docs have all the answers.
Follow Dr. Joshua Torres on Twitter
Connect with Dr. Sabah Ul-Hasan via LinkedIn
More episode sources and links
You may also enjoy our episodes on Malacology (SNAILS), Medusology (JELLYFISH) & Toxinology (JELLYFISH VENOM)
Donations were made to Helping Women Period and OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
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Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media
Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer
Theme song by Nick Thorburn