I was inspired by a segment on the first show of Science Friday’s Cephalopod Week when Dr. Janet Voight (12:11 – 13:44) casually mentioned how the Curled Octopus envenomates its crustacean prey. Directly to the eyeball. Terrifying as that is (imagine the last thing you ever see are jaws puncturing your eyes, leaving you blind and…… Continue reading Octopi Venom, Directly to the Eyeball
Author: AKlompen
Fieldwork Evolution
I had the opportunity for a little "working" vacation back in Ohio. And by working, I of course mean hardcore creeking. For science. When biologists or naturalists are asked how they got into their field, the stereotype is they spent a lot of time outside as a kid, playing with creepy crawlies on the ground… Continue reading Fieldwork Evolution
Sea Anemones, Peptide Super Heros
Review of: J. Prentis, P., Pavasovic, A., & S Norton, R. (2018). Sea Anemones: Quiet Achievers in the Field of Peptide Toxins. Toxins, 10(1), 36. DOI:10.3390/toxins10010036 If you search the VenomZone website under the cnidarian section, you will find that most cnidarian toxins are derived from sea anemones (Class Anthozoa, order Actiniaria). My first literature review is a paper…… Continue reading Sea Anemones, Peptide Super Heros
Species spotlight: Egg Yolk Jellies
One of my outreach activities is a jellyfish common name guessing game, where we ask participants to guess the hilarious names such like pink meanies, snotties, sea tomatoes, and blue blubbers. Of all the jellies, most folks can immediately guess the Egg-yolk Jellyfish, Phacellophora camtschatica. Like a fried egg swimming in the sea.... The species… Continue reading Species spotlight: Egg Yolk Jellies
You Have Never Been Stung by a Poisonous Jellyfish: Venom vs. Poison vs. Toxin
If I am going to blog about venom, I would be remiss to not write a “venom versus poison” post right from the get-go. The misuse of “venom” and “poison” is a pet peeve widely shared within the field of biology, let alone within the specialized field of toxinology. And yes, I said TOXINology, not…… Continue reading You Have Never Been Stung by a Poisonous Jellyfish: Venom vs. Poison vs. Toxin
My first post!
At least I am pretty sure it is, took me a majority of the day to figure out how to get this blog put together. But fingers crossed it worked. Probably best to say up front I have never really had a life-long desire to start a blog, least not one that was somewhat personal.…… Continue reading My first post!
Gelatinous Sting 