this stuff will kill you... really fast

[emprworm]

Just a little nugget of knowledge for y'all

Very fascinating stuff. Palytoxin is the most toxic naturally occuring substance on the planet.

and (i believe) the most complex non-proteinous molecule known to man- 64 stereocenters and a backbone of 115 contiguous carbon atoms- it wasn't synthesized until just recently because of its complexity. Additionally, this poison is found in only one place on the planet!! It is found in only a single tide pool in Hawaii 9 feet accross and a couple feet deep (wierd huh?).

In dogs, it causes death within 5 min at .06ug/kg. (ug=microgram). That means that a Dog weighing 20KG (about 45 pounds) would be dead within 5 minutes with a dose of 1.5 Micrograms! (a microgram is a millionth of a gram).

Let me put this in perspective: a typical grain of salt weighs just under 0.1 milligrams, or 100 Micrograms. To kill a 40 pound dog with palytoxin, you would take an amount the size of a grain of salt and chop it in half

....then chop it in half....then chop it in half again...

now, take one of those pieces...and chop it in half again

Then chop it in half AGAIN.

Now give the resulting piece to the dog and within 5 minutes it will be stone cold DEAD.

This stuff makes VX gas look like laughing gas.

http://www.chem.orst.edu/ch331-7t/ch331/CH331-F99/motds/MOTD115.htm

DONT GO SWIMMING IN THIS TIDAL POOL! :) hehe

[thomas]

spooky so about 5 grams in your burger will kill you in like 15 seconds?

[emprworm]

uhhh the lethal human dose is under 5 micrograms.

5 grams would kill at least a million people.

[Edric O]

And no one is using it?? ???

Just pray Bin Laden doesn't find out. A bit of this stuff in a city's food supply would have nasty consequences.

[emprworm]

it just goes to show that nature still dominates anything that man has.

Mt St Helens, a volcano here in my state, blew up in 1980 with a force of about 50 megatons. I saw it with my own eyes. There are volcanoes that erupt with forces greater than even 100 megatons- the most powerful bomb ever built by man is still beat by earthly nature. The deadliest gas we can make is still beat by nature. Man competes with God. Man loses. Everytime.

One of these days the earth is going to go on a rampage and tell all these pitiful humans who is boss around here ;D

[Acriku]

Who said man was competing with nature? Man is just trying to understand nature. :P

[emprworm]

Who said man was competing with nature? Man is just trying to understand nature. :P

who said? I did. Who said that man is just trying to understand nature?

[Acriku]

I did. And about all the scientists in the world. *Smackdown!*

[emprworm]

perhaps...but i never heard all the scientists in the world say that. I guess you have a lot of friends.

[Acriku]

I do have friends, yes. :) Many, many comrades.

[Edric O]

You call a pitiful 100 megaton blast "the power of nature"? HA! Take a look at solar flares big enough to incinerate the Earth. Take a look at black holes powerful enough to rip it to shreads. Take a look at supernovae destructive enough to wipe out our entire Solar System in the blink of an eye.

THAT, my friend, is the true power of nature. And as for God, it's still just child's play compared to what He can do.

[Acriku]

We can't discuss nature without going to supernature...sigh...

[emprworm]

well Edric, those are fine examples, although in my original post I did say "earthly nature". heh.

but ya, true nature owns man now and forever.

[Acriku]

I don't see the point of talking about nature vs. man? No sh*t nature is more destructive, was there really an argument? No.

[emprworm]

then why did you argue?

[Acriku]

You said man was competing with nature. That is what I argued about. :P

[VigilVirus]

The destructive force of nature remains constant at all time, while humans every second are developing deadlier and deadlier methods of destruction. It is just a matter of time before they create something that is more destructive than anything that exists in nature, unless of course, humans destroy themselves first ;D

[Terror]

.... why would they use it? The victim first has to swallow it. There are dozens of other toxins that are about as lethal... It's not like a real mass destruction weapon....

[Edric O]

Because it's such an effective assasination weapon.

And if you put it in a needle gun, you get 1-shot-1-kill ammo, no matter which part of the body you hit.

[VigilVirus]

Lol, how about such gases as Ricin and Sarine gas?

They are extremely deadly, Sarine being one of the deadliest gases in existence and Ricin, a gas that can be produced from beans in castor plants.

[Edric O]

Yeah, but can they kill a man with just a few micrograms?

[Acriku]

There are gases that'll kill you in minutes, so what is so big and bad about this toxic?

[Terror]

Because it's such an effective assasination weapon.

And if you put it in a needle gun, you get 1-shot-1-kill ammo, no matter which part of the body you hit.

1. we do not live in medieval times, assassination is work for terrorists only, and they could choose dozens of other poisons, and besides.... in an assassination one bullet is often good enough.

2. War is fought mostly with missiles nowadays, the most fighting on land goes by the use of commandos. And since they use powerful m4 rifles, with telescope every hit is a kill anyway.... it's just not worth all the trouble to poison every bullet (you would have to do that just before you are gonna shoot, takes a lot of time)

[VigilVirus]

Ummm... yes, what kind of a question is that? You know how little of those gas it takes to kill a person? If you get the smallest bit on your skin or breath it in, you're dead in several minutes.

[Acriku]

And if it takes a dog to die in 5 minutes, it'll take a human even longer, not very fast.