The Poisoncast

Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback $11.24 By Robyn Davidson Thomas Hicks, the winner of the 1904 Olympic Marathon strychnine homeopathy (worthless, don't buy it) on Amazon.

Some pics of gas mask training when (a much younger me) was in the Marine Corps (I'm the doofus looking into the camera). (c) compound interest, used via creative commons license.  Randomly came across this in my lab the other day click on the graphic to go to an excellent website about Cholinesterase Inhibitors

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn what makes the Death Cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) arguably the deadliest of mushrooms.  Travel inside the liver with us to see how the diabolical toxin takes you down. A picture I took of a local Milk Thistle, which is used in the drug Silibinin to treat Death Cap mushroom poisoning. a-amanitin A mongoose has small mutations in its DNA that make it impervious to the black mamba venom.  The Death Cap mushroom is similar in its ability to not get poisoned by its own toxins. Click here to be taken to Cat Adam's great article on the Death Cap mushroom. @scienceismetal

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn how Urushiol, the active ingredient in poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac, injures you.  It's unlike any toxin we've discussed thus far, and you'll love it!I don't have great pics, but below are my personal poison oak rashes for the Sierra Nevadas!

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn about Cortalus Artox, or the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.  This snake is responsible for biting more people than any other in the United States.  Get the low down on how this dangerous creature can kill you. While looking for a different chemical in my lab, I randomly came across this.  What are the chances?  

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn about Mustard Gas. Gaining notoriety for its use in WWI, mustard gas was so effective and terrifying that its use was banned in warfare in 1925.  Not only does it cause severe repertory distress and horrific skin blistering, but it is also a carcinogenic

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn how the world’s most deadly toxin, botulinum toxin from the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, is also surprisingly versatile.  

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn how an otherwise adorable and innocent looking animal, the puffer fish (or fugu in Japanese) can kill you with one of the world's most deadly poisons, tetrodotoxin.

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn how ricin, one of the most toxic chemicals on the planet, can kill you.  You may remember it from Breaking Bad, or the Ricin Letters, or even Georgi Markov, but there is so much more to be learned about this fascinating toxin.

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn how the Hemlock can kill you.  While Socrates made Hemlock famous, this old-timey poison is fascinating, and it may just be one of the nastier and insidious poisons we've discussed to date. Below you can see a photo I took at the Met in NYC of The Death of Socrates (French: La Mort de Socrate), an oil on canvas painted by French painter Jacques-Louis David in 1787.

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn how the deadly poison cyanide kills you.  Governments and individuals have used it for over a century to quickly kill people and it is the chemical equivalent of drowning without water.  Join us as we learn the science about this fascinating chemical.

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn just how Black Mamba venom kills you.  We travel deep inside the body and discuss the science behind dendrotoxins and how they interact with the neurons in your brain.

On this episode of The Poisoncast learn what the podcast is about and get a primer on the science of poisons and toxins