tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833607.post114032458386004942..comments2023-06-14T03:36:55.988-07:00Comments on Head Nurse: Pour, sip, read. Pour, sip, read. Damn.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520599099436383317noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833607.post-1140605722893410012006-02-22T02:55:00.000-08:002006-02-22T02:55:00.000-08:00Could it be that we have to pee on it, as with jel...Could it be that we have to pee on it, as with jellyfish? MAybe it denatures proteins, who knows. I looked this up a few weeks ago, funnily enough, and here's what a summary of what I found:<BR/><BR/>"platypus venom is a cocktail of various toxins, the major portion of which is made up of proteins which resemble no other to date. These have been named the defensin-like proteins, or DLPs, because their three dimensional structure resembles that of an antimicrobial peptide known as beta-defensin."<BR/><BR/>Also:<BR/>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids==10839998<BR/>http://www.usyd.edu/research/news/2003/oct/31_venom.shtml<BR/><BR/>I also want to go to Australia. NOW.Lionesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11066691544599972381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833607.post-1140374405093691322006-02-19T10:40:00.000-08:002006-02-19T10:40:00.000-08:00Holy kamole! Out of curiosity, I Googled "Platypus...Holy kamole! Out of curiosity, I Googled "Platypus poison," and learned the following things:<BR/><BR/>The structure of platypus poison is briefly discussed at http://us.expasy.org/spotlight/back_issues/sptlt029.shtml, where you can also see a fine 19th-century print of these animals.<BR/><BR/>Platypus poison acts directly on pain receptor cells. (As opposed to causing tissue damage that the pain cells pick up on, I assume. That's very fifties-science-fiction -- I remember reading in some collection about an "aesthetic," something that makes pain hurt worse.)<BR/><BR/>Platypus and some spider venoms contain mirror-image proteins -- the regular pain-receptor protein that does the work, and a smaller amount of the "flipped" version that, one researcher thinks, acts as a stabilizer and preservative. I am trying to think how this connects to CJD and my eyebrows are starting to hurt.<BR/><BR/>Part of the problem with the poison is that it just gets driven in so darn hard. Platypi are extremely strong and can cause a lot of tissue damage when they spike you.<BR/><BR/>The spur is just above the platypus's heel on each hind leg. I am trying to think of a pun about Achilles's heels and failing.<BR/><BR/>Platypus poison also causes a drop in blood pressure.<BR/><BR/>If you ever need to handle a platypus: <BR/><BR/>"Platypus should never be handled, except in an emergency - for example, to extract a fishing hook that has become embedded in a platypus's bill. In such a situation, the platypus can be restrained by holding its body flat against the ground while the hook is carefully removed - ideally by a second person." My solution would be to toss the platypus a copy of Body Piercing magazine and run the other way, but perhaps I'm not appreciating the ecological repercussions of this problem.<BR/><BR/>"If it is necessary to pick up a sick or injured animal (for example, to place it in a secure bag or box before taking it to a veterinarian) the safest technique is to grip the platypus by the middle or end of its tail (but not the tail base, which an animal can reach with its spurs). To reduce struggling, cover the animal's eyes with a folded towel or item of soft clothing while it is being handled." I can't imagine swinging a platypus by the end of its tail while someone else tries to keep a folded handkerchief on its forehead, can you?<BR/><BR/>The spur thingy that they use to stick you is *articulated.* In other words, the platypus can swing it out from its leg, ready for action, like a Terminator II extra.<BR/><BR/>If you get spiked, the swelling at the site can be "spectacular" and last for months (!)<BR/><BR/>Also, if you put ice on the wound, it will probably hurt more. ... What kind of vengeful God invented these guys? I'm waiting to find some article somewhere that says if you take aspirin for the pain your skull will explode. Crimeny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com