Beneficial venom ...?

Chamomile for stomachaches, lemon and honey for your flu, and the always well received aloe vera for healing scars; grandma always says that there isn’t better thing than nature’s products, and among life continues scientists have done a lot of efforts to reinforce that thought.

A most recent discovery involves an always feared and not so beloved animal, but after this that situation may change. I’m talking about the Black Mamba, one of the most dangerous snakes in South Africa, whose venom have been proved to contain a powerful painkiller that may surpass the well-known morphine.

Opiates such as morphine are known for being used by several well-known artists because of its effectiveness in treating pain, but is also known because of its addictive qualities and for causing vomit, strong headaches, muscle twitching and difficulty thinking to consumers. But this recently discovered pain-reliever molecule has all the benefits of a painkiller but without the side effects mentioned.Snake venoms contain toxins that can lower pain by activating some parts of the brain. Scientists tested isolated pain-killing proteins taken from this animal on mice - named mambalgins - , and the result was a total pain relief which later studies tested on human cells proved to work in a similar way in people.

Although this is still in diapers and needs for more testing, scientists and doctors are pretty optimistic in the development and effectiveness of this new drug which promises to make a change in lots of treatments, don’t you think?

Small jar, big benefits.

Could you survive in temperatures below -30ºC? Although it seems impossible for humans to put up with those temperatures, there are other kinds of living beings who do; not only animals and not just thanks to their fur.

For decades, scientists have studied and used protein molecules present in different organisms, including insects, fish, plants and bacteria, and which are mostly used for extending harvest and improving farm fish production in cooler climates; also are used for enhancing preservation of tissues for transplant or transfusion in medicine, and treating hypothermia. But a recent discovery in this field can place an important change in the use of antifreeze molecules.

In Alaska, scientists of the University of Notre Dame have been working with an antifreeze molecule taken from a freeze-tolerant Alaskan beetle (Upis ceramboides). This molecule, unlike most of the molecules used in science, is not a protein but a mixture of fatty acids and saccharides which exists in this type of beetle in small quantities.

Some of its most interesting aspects are that this molecule is the first one tried on isolation of antifreeze and also given that its chemical composition could be easily synthesized in the laboratory of small chains of sugar companies, making them cheaper and easier to manufacture than biologically assembled molecules.

Given this recent discovery, scientist have started to look out for more uses for this molecule and see what else this small creatures have to offer. How much has the natural world for us? Can you imagine all the possibilities? For now the best I can think is that we are getting closer to use them as examples and not so much as raw material.

Embryonic Stem Cells Research: Abortion or Scientific Progress?

You probably have heard the term “stem cells”. Nowadays, it is mentioned on TV, newspapers and internet quite often since this kind of cells are said to be the possible “cure” for many diseases. For the ones who do not know, a stem cell is a “neutral” cell which is able to grow within any other specialized cell. So, when a specialized cell, e.g. a skin cell, is damaged or missing, a stem cell could repair or replace it. 

Two categories of stem cells can be identified: “embryonic” and “adult”. Basically, the “embryonic” are the ones found in an embryo when it is just a few days old. The “adult” stem cells are neutral cells found in tissues and organs. The problem is that this type of cells is not as versatile and obtainable as embryonic stem cells; therefore, they may not be really helpful for research.

Although most of embryonic stem cells are obtained from embryos that develop from eggs fertilized “in vitro” (and donated for research purposes), religious groups are against their use since they maintain that human life begins at the moment of conception; therefore, scientists would be killing potential human lives.

Groups in favor allege that life starts just when there’s activity registered in the brain (20 weeks approximately after conception).  Furthermore, embryos need to be transferred into a woman’s uterus in order to develop into a person.

Is an early embryo a real person?  Or should we care more about the possible treatments that could be developed from this kind of research?