Binge drinkers beware, Drunkorexia is calling. sciencedaily.com. May 15, 2020. Around 1 in 3 female students report saving calories for binge drinking episodes. Summary: Mojito, appletini or a simple glass of fizz — they may take the edge off a busy day, but if you find yourself bingeing on more than a few, you could […]
Scorpion toxin that targets ‘wasabi receptor’ may help solve mystery of chronic pain. sciencedaily.com. August 22, 2019. Summary: Researchers have discovered a scorpion toxin that targets the ‘wasabi receptor,’ a chemical-sensing protein found in nerve cells that’s responsible for the sinus-jolting sting of wasabi. Because the toxin triggers a pain response, scientists think it can […]
Australian islands home to 414 million pieces of plastic pollution. sciencedaily.com. May 16, 2019. Summary: A survey of plastic pollution on Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands has revealed the territory’s beaches are littered with an estimated 414 million pieces of plastic debris. The study estimated beaches on the Indian Ocean islands are littered with 238 tons […]
Deadly box jellyfish antidote discovered using CRISPR genome editing. sciencedaily.com. April 30, 2019. Pain researchers uncover secrets to box jellyfish venom. Summary: Researchers studying how pain works have discovered an antidote to the deadly sting delivered by the most venomous creature on Earth — the Australian box jellyfish. A single sting to a human causes […]
Eggs not linked to cardiovascular risk, despite conflicting advice. sciencedaily.com. May 07, 2018. No extra risk for people with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Summary: Eating up to 12 eggs a week does not increase cardiovascular risk factors in people with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, new research finds — despite conflicting dietary advice continuing […]
Reducing side effects in commonly used drugs. sciencedaily.com. February 27, 2018. Summary: New research has drilled down to the molecular level to find similarities across six pharmaceutical drugs used in pain relief, dentist anesthetic, and treatment of epilepsy, in a bid to find a way to reduce unwanted side-effects.New research from The Australian National University […]
World’s most venomous spiders are actually cousins. sciencedaily.com. February 15, 2018. Study finds the deadly Australian funnel-web spiders and mouse spiders are more closely related than previously thought. Two lineages of dangerous arachnids found in Australia — long classified as distantly related in the official taxonomy — are, in fact, relatively close evolutionary cousins. The […]
Pilot study in Kenya shows link between chronic pain and glutamate consumption. sciencedaily.com. February 16, 2018. Researchers test theory that diet change can alleviate pain. Summary: Preliminary research from a small pilot study carried out in Meru, in eastern Kenya, shows a link between chronic pain and consumption of glutamate, a common flavor enhancer found […]
Sixty people are rushed to hospital in South Africa after being poisoned by eating a cow that had been killed by a COBRA. By Jamie Pyatt and Alex Green. dailymail.co.uk. February 02, 2018. Villagers from Mpoza, Eastern Cape, ate flesh from a dead cow killed by a snake. Old and young suffered diarrhoea, vomiting, headaches […]
No Link Between Childhood Lead Levels, Later Criminality. By Alan Mozes. medlineplus.gov. December 27, 2017. Exposure to higher levels of lead during early childhood can affect neurological development — but does that mean affected kids are doomed to delinquency? No, according to a new study that tracked the lives of hundreds of New Zealand children […]
JCU scientists find scorpions target their venom. jcu.edu.au. October 11, 2017. In the first study of its kind, James Cook University scientists have shown scorpions can fine-tune their venom to suit different predators and prey. Dr Jamie Seymour from JCU’s Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) said a typical scorpion predator would be […]
Australian spider bite boy saved by massive anti-venom dose. bbcnews. February 24, 2017. A 10-year-old Australian boy has survived being bitten by one of the world’s most venomous spiders after being treated with 12 vials of anti-venom, reports say.It is thought to be one of the largest doses of anti-venom ever administered in Australia. Matthew […]
Lionfish invading the Mediterranean Sea. sciencedaily.com. June 28, 2016. Rising temperatures, Suez Canal widening open the door to invasive species. Summary: Rising sea temperatures in the Mediterranean are encouraging alien lionfish species to invade and colonize new territories with potentially serious ecological and socioeconomic impacts.Rising sea temperatures in the Mediterranean are encouraging alien lionfish species […]
Thick-skinned bed bugs outgunning humans in chemical arms race. By Marcus Strom. smh.com.au. April 14, 2016. There is an arms race between bed bugs and humans, and the bugs are winning. The blood-feeding insects are evolving to survive the chemical warfare we have launched in an attempt to keep our nights bite free. David Lilly […]
A tick bite that makes you allergic to red meat. By Bianca Nogrady. bbc.news. February 05, 2016.Normally, humans aren’t affected by a bite from Ixodes holocyclus – better known as the paralysis tick. But in some cases, it can trigger a dangerous and rare allergy to red meat.Walking through Sydney’s northern beaches in the height […]
Smooth hunters: How environmental awareness helped the Bushmen to poison their game. sciencedaily.com´. February 02, 2016. Summary: Being responsible for providing their food straight from nature, the San tribes of southern Africa, also called Bushmen, have found ways to evolve their hunting methods. It seems that it did not take long between the adoption of […]
Neon Blue Creature spotted on Australian Beach. By Diana Bretting. perfscience.com. November 16, 2015. A neon blue creature that seems like a tie-dyed can be seen not only in a science fiction movie, as it was washed up on an Australian beach recently. The blobby creature was seen by a local on the foreshore at […]
Toxicological trivia from November 04, 2015: In an article titled, "Neonicotinoids changes the outcome of aggressive interactions between native and invasive ants,study". New Zealand is facing an invasion of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), which compete with native southern ants (Monomorium antarcticum). The insects often meet in urban or agricultural areas, where neonicotinoids are in use. […]
World’s turtles face plastic deluge danger.sciencedaily.com. September 14, 2015. Summary: More than half the world’s sea turtles have ingested plastic or other human rubbish, an international study has revealed. The study found the east coasts of Australia and North America, Southeast Asia, southern Africa, and Hawaii were particularly dangerous for turtles due to a combination […]
Toxicological trivia from June 10, 2015: Agapanthus is a very hardy plant that is used in gardens to form bright and colorful hedges.The name Agapanthus derives from the Greek, agape – love and anthos – flower. Hence, presumably, it derives its name Flower of Love. His other name, African Lily, denotes its origin in South […]
Sports: ‘Performance enhancing’ drugs decrease performance.sciencedaily.com. May 04, 2015. Summary:Doping is damaging the image of sport without benefiting athletes’ results, according to new research. Researchers collated sporting records (including Olympic and world records) of male and female athletes across 26 sports, between 1886 and 2012. Comparisons were made between pre-1932 records (when steroids became available) […]
Lisa Scanlan.ACCOUNTS ASSISTANT OTAGO INNOVATION LTD. Centre for Innovation, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New ZealandDeveloped over the past 50 years by the New Zealand National Poisons Centre TOXINZ™, is a comprehensive online poisons information database for all healthcare professionals and teaching institutions. TOXINZ™ is rapidly gaining international recognition and is currently being used in […]
Great Barrier Reef corals eat plastic. sciencedaily.com. February 24, 2015. Summary: Researchers in Australia have found that corals commonly found on the Great Barrier Reef will eat micro-plastic pollution. Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic in the environment and are a widespread contaminant in marine ecosystems, particularly in inshore coral reefs. Corales en acuario (SerTox) […]
Warning on use of drug for children’s sleep. eurekalert.org. February 25, 2015. Sleep researchers at the University of Adelaide are warning doctors and parents not to provide the drug melatonin to children to help control their sleep problems. Melatonin is a hormone produced in the body with the onset of darkness. It plays an important […]