#bz drug

[mercoglianotrueblog]

WWIII:north hemisphere hit,south back to #Neanderthal,tens MM dead,decomposing #corpses,B of #rats spreading infections

2D #leaders miss #Hiroscima&WWII horrors

#BZ drug in #Donbass?

#taxes' bulk-even in war-from common people cos we outnumber the #rich

https://salvatoremercogliano.blogspot.com/2023/02/psychology-of-nuclear-brinkmanship.html?spref=tw

[youngninelifer]

That Harry Dubois vs Howl poor little meow meow poll is making me mad like!!!!! Just bc u only know Howl doesn’t mean u should vote for him!!! Howl is a fairly normal well adjusted Welsh man who slimed ONCE. He has so much going for him. In terms of pathetic and miserable he is NOTHING compared to the freight train that is Harry Dubois like come ON it should be Harry SWEEP

[mxmajor]

Alright SydCarmy Mafia AU Premise

There are still chefs, same family restaurant and other businesses, psuedo family, but the businesses are used as a money laundering front.

Richie is still involved with drugs but is a higher ranking lieutenant, Natalie still has that finance degree and background, works at the bank as a cover but is involved.

Just like in canon, cousin Michelle is a restauranteur, something the family doesn't see as viable like real estate had been as a cover, but as things bloom for her, they see the opportunity to move into a larger bracket because a lot of money moves through fine dining establishments each week.

And with that, they invest in the beef a bit more, and when they see the nascent talent of a prodigy, they push for Carmy to be out in the world to become the canon chef we know.

Mikey hopes that being away from the family will keep Carmy on the straight and narrow, clean and unsullied by their bullshit. Mikey failed to make it beyond the Berzattos, but Carmen would be different, if he keeps him at arms distance. Little did he know, the Family was reaching further than he could push his baby brother away.

Syd is tapped after catering for a private party to stage for a CDC position at one of the BZ Group restaurants, an opportunity that could take her 20 year plan to have her own restaurant as a culinary iconoclast and cut it in half. They had inventive and successful establishments in New York, California, and here in Chicago, and if she could lead a program in one of their kitchen's to snag a F&W award, or retain and increase one of their Michelin Star kitchens...This could accelerate her career way more than micro-planing citrus.

The Restaurant group has a reputation in the city, but in the food world, that reputation is a life time opportunity. And one of the reasons for that reputation is successful, famous, nay, legendary hometown hero Carmen Berzatto that might even be her EC if she nails this. It's not like she'll work their forever, right?

Possible routes:

Shy anxious Carmy is a cover to get her to join in and she falls deep into the life before realizing what this is all a front for. he's been in on all of it and groomed to take over, he just needs a partner to expedite by his side.

OR

Carmy is trying to keep her out by being an asshole because he doesn't want her to get sucked into their underworld as he tries to figure out if the story he was told about his brother's death was true.

OR

Sydney witnesses something she Should Not See™, so they have her marry Carmy so she can't testify against him (fake marriage au) but they fall for each other over time as they bond over food in the menu of chaos around them.

BONUS: Mr. Berzatto was taking care of and/or his family was offered up as collateral because he owed folks money. but he is still out there and might come back 👀👀

Or he's the big bad boss behind it all but none of his kids know him or see him "for their safety"

Okay, I am handing off this baton lol.

(when I say pass the baton, i mean i'm tryna crowdsource a mafia au, please add an idea or take an idea and run with it lol.)

[macgyvermedical]

Hi! I am working on a fic in which the main character (superhero in the MCU) gets hit by a villain's unknown gas that causes extreme and irritational fear/paranoia/anxiety (sort of similar to the DCU's fear toxin, I guess). I'm just wondering how this would work medically, as the character will obviously see a doctor after the fact. I'd like the conclusion to essentially be "you'll just have to let the toxin/drugs run their course," but what kind of tests would be run, and would they be able to determine what exactly is in the character's system? (Since it's a reality-flexible universe, there can be elements of the toxin that aren't actually real or familiar/recognizable to make it cause some of the reactions I'm wanting.) Is there any sort of meds they might give the character? Any insights you might have to make the conversation with the doctor at least a little realistic would be very helpful, thank you! :)

Sounds like a pretty standard day on my observation unit haha.

There are lots of drugs, particularly stimulants, club drugs, and THC, that can cause paranoia and anxiety. The thing is, none of them do it consistently enough that you could easily make them into a chemical weapon like you're describing.

The closest IRL chemical weapon to a fear toxin is called QNB (aka BZ). QNB is a deliriant/incapacitant, meaning that it causes incapacitating confusion, hallucinations, and probably paranoia and anxiety as well without causing death. There is no antidote that has been identified, and the drug really does just need to run it's course.

Let's say your character went to the emergency room. They'd probably draw some blood and take a urine sample. The blood would mostly be used to see how the person was doing physically (what their electrolyte levels were, how many red and white blood cells they have, what their blood glucose is, etc...) and maybe get an alcohol level. The urine would be used to do a urinalysis (basic test to determine whether someone has a UTI or has things in their urine that shouldn't be there, like blood or mucous) and a urine tox screen.

Unlike what most people think, a urine tox screen won't identify everything. It will just identify the top 10 commonly abused drugs. It's the same test that they run when people start a new job. If the fear toxin is a common problem in-universe, though, they might have a specific test for that that could also be run on the blood or urine. We don't have a specific test for QNB.

Once they got all the tests back and they were normal, they would know this was probably either a drug they couldn't identify or a psych problem. They might gets seen by a psychiatrist in the emergency department, but if intoxication was suspected (as in, the patient reported that their symptoms started when they were exposed to a drug), psych would probably want to wait until the person was sober.

For this they may be admitted to an observation unit to let the drug run its course. They might also be given an antipsychotic medication like olanzepine or haloperidol, or a benzodiazepine like lorazepam to decrease agitation/paranoia/anxiety.

If the person was a flight risk due to their paranoia and it was deemed that they couldn't make good decisions for themselves, they might also have a 1:1 sitter or a video sitter to stay with them and stop them from leaving (or in the case of a video sitter, alert nursing staff to them trying to leave).

[transgenderer]

Illicit methaqualone is one of the most commonly used recreational drugs in South Africa. Manufactured clandestinely, often in India, it comes in tablet form, but is smoked with marijuana. This method of ingestion is known as "white pipe".[20][21] It is popular elsewhere in Africa and in India.[21]

they still got ludes in south africa. also

The South African chemical weapons program investigated all the standard CW agents such as irritant riot control agents, lethal nerve agents and anticholinergic deliriants, which have been researched by virtually all countries that have carried out CW research. The South African program differed in its aims from the CBW programmes of many countries in that a major focus of the program was to develop nonlethal agents to help suppress internal dissent.[3]: 77–109  That led to the investigation of unusual nonlethal agents, including illicit recreational drugs such as phencyclidine (PCP), MDMA, methaqualone (quaaludes) and cocaine, as well as medicinal drugs such as diazepam (valium), midazolam, ketamine, suxamethonium and tubocurarine, as potential incapacitating agents. According to the testimony given by Wouter Basson to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,[6] analogues of the compounds were prepared and studied, and both methaqualone and MDMA (along with the deliriant BZ) were manufactured in large quantities and successfully weaponised into a fine dust or aerosol form that could be released over a crowd as a potential riot control agent. Basson was later found to have also been selling large quantities of MDMA and methaqualone as tablets on the black market, but the amount manufactured was far larger than what was sold, and the court accepted that at least some genuine weaponisation and testing of the agents had been done.

[thebasilbuffet]

YOU WANT A RECAP!

I gotchu!

Ok so the anons tortured Pit and Dark Pit, again. Because Judas had to leave. Judas and the two faced anon and Snaley went to kidnap Mari, who was teleported away. Meanwhile, the boys were locked in separate and Faraway cells, and Mari was locked away in a fairly nice room. With camera footage.

Meanwhile, Lucina ran off, and Sonic and Palutena found her, but had to fight 4 mafia members they almost lost too, but they surrendered. So the rest of the rescue squad is on their way to the base. An anon also drugged Pit with a military grade hallucinogen called BZ, and Mari saw this because Cameras, and is making a plan to escape and get the boys out. And Sunny's group is gonna fight Judas. And the rescue squad is on the way to save Pit and Dark Pit

Hs Mari went to Kanna's dimension. She's in Nohr, at the Castle Krakenburg library with a girl named Ophelia, looking for information on her dimensional powers in hopes she can learn to harness them and help her friends

Eway sweetie that just makes me way more confused than I already was

[supbreak20-ofa]

Oh that's right! You only saw the streams.

You didn't see anything else. Like when we boiled someone alive and carved his face in.

He's 13 by the way. And an angel, literally! Same one from the first two!

We also used BZ, a drug that, essentially, is a fear toxin, able to make you hallucinate your worst fears

I think it can be that bad

I think I'm going to be sick...

[basils-plants-and-potions]

Mari is also trying to find a way to save the Kid who we drugged with BZ so...

"Oh.. Dammit."

[unwelcome-ozian]

I was reading the chainless slaves book and there is a line “One particular drug enhances the trauma by 100 times.” I was wondering if you could tell what this drug is? And also I am wondering if you have any information on the affects of Datura when used as a drug and how it could possibly be used in programming?

At the time Chainless Slaves was written the drug referenced was BZ.

It’s interesting that you ask about Datura as BZ was modelled after atropine, an active chemical found in Datura.

Some effects of Datura are; delirium capable of bringing about auditory, visual, and tactile hallucinations indistinguishable from reality. This waking dream-like state can lead to unconscious violent behaviour much like a drunken ‘black-out.’ It’s also reported uncommonly large doses can cause hallucinations lasting for two to three days. This mirrors available data regarding the duration of BZ’s effects.

Datura species have been revered as sacred visionary plants among almost all cultures around the world that have encountered it. Archeological evidence shows that Datura has been in use for at least 3,000 years in the southwestern United States and even longer in other parts of the world.

Datura is easily accessible. It would be given to someone before a programming session to enhance the impact/effect of programming.

Oz

[chaos-cousins]

Thst moment Ehen you go on your phone tondidtsxt yourself and you see thst someone sent your friend a step bz step method of how tonsedste you

I've already bern drugged enouvb I font esnnna be drugged anymlre

[vomitnest]

BZ, HENBANE, DEVILS TRUMPET, 5MEODMT, FLAKKA... you will be straightjacketed and locked in pitch black solitary confinement and forcibly administered the most powerful and terrifying hallucinogenic drugs known to mankind. for science. it's for science. for America

[recentlyheardcom]

Stocks rose on Friday, coming back from losses after a stronger-than-forecast US jobs report boosted expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates again.The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) was up almost 1%, or about 300 points, as all the major stock gauges emerged from the red. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) was also up 1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) gained around 1.3%.The September jobs data did not show the signs of cooling in the labor market that were forecast. The US economy added 336,000 jobs in September, almost twice the number expected. That could give the Fed more evidence that the labor market remains strong, making the case for a more restrictive policy for longer.Friday's data is the last key payrolls report before the central bank's next policy meeting.Read more: What the Fed rate-hike pause means for bank accounts, CDs, loans, and credit cardsThe Fed is also watching the bond markets, as Fed official Mary Daly said Thursday that if long-term bond yields remain around current levels, then policymakers may not need to raise interest rates again. The rally in yields continued Friday after the jobs print, with 10-year US Treasury yields (^TNX) going back up past 4.8%.The bond sell-off may well continue, given there's no clear catalyst to stem the bleeding, according to some analysts. It would take a washout in stocks or softening in the economy to prompt a retreat in yields, they believe.Worries about growth have weighed on oil prices, which are set for their biggest weekly loss since March thanks to a clouded demand outlook. WTI crude oil futures (CL=F) wavered around $83 a barrel on Friday, while Brent crude futures (BZ=F) kept hold of the key $84 level.How the food industry might adapt to more widespread weight loss drugsConsumer packed goods companies are confronting the possibility that a new wave of appetite suppressing drugs will change the way Americans eat. In the years ahead, if the medications are more widely adopted, that could translate to new shopping habits, where carts are filled with less food, and with snacks and meals that pack fewer calories.But as Conagra CEO Sean Connolly said Friday, after the company reported earnings, food companies have been grappling with shifting consumer fads and trends for decades. "Back in the '90s with Snack Wells, it was all about fat and calories. And if you just look in the last few years, we've gone from grain-free to cauliflower to keto. I mean it's constantly evolving," Connolly said.Rather than being caught flat-footed by pharmaceutical advancements, Connolly described a product design process in which companies are plugged into the latest desires of the consumer, changing things like packaging, serving size and ingredients to keep up with the trends that shoppers are chasing."If we end up seeing changes in consumer eating patterns, let's say they go to smaller portions, then we evolve the innovations, and we design smaller portions. If they switch to different types of nutrients, we evolve the innovation, we switch to different types of nutrients. If they change the kind of pack sizes they snack on, we'll change that."Connolly also acknowledged that the potential consumer shifts prompted by the new class of drugs won't happen overnight. "So this is the kind of stuff that will happen over 5, 10, 15 years, not over the next 6 months. But I think the key to navigating these kinds of just constantly evolving consumer environment is you have to be externally focused. You've got to study these consumer trends and you've got to rapidly design in what the consumer is looking for into your products," he said.Stocks trending in afternoon tradingHere are some of the stocks leading Yahoo Finance’s trending tickers page in afternoon trading on Friday:Walmart (WMT): Shares of the retail giant fell by more than 3% Friday afternoon following remarks from an executive who noted that the company is seeing a "slight change" in the carts of shoppers on the diabetes and weight loss drug Ozempic, Wegovy, and other appetite suppressants.

Overstock (OSTK): The company's surge continued on Friday afternoon, rising more than 12% after Camping World (CWH) CEO Marcus Lemonis joined Overstock's board, and proceeded to buy over 33,000 shares.Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD): Shares of the shale producer surged more than 11% Friday afternoon after reports that oil giant Exxon Mobil was finalizing a blockbuster deal to acquire it, worth about $60 billion.Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM): Shares rose more than 2% after the company reported a smaller-than-expected decline in revenue, boosted by demand for AI and other advanced chips. Taiwan Semiconductor produces chips for Apple, Nvidia and other tech companies.Dow gains more than 200 points in reversalA Friday morning trading session that began on a sour note has turned into an afternoon surge as Wall Street reconsiders the impact of a stunning jobs report.The S&P 500 (^GSPC) gained 0.9%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose about 0.8% or 250 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) climbed more than 1%.Stocks trending in morning tradingHere are some of the stocks leading Yahoo Finance’s trending tickers page in morning trading on Friday:Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD): Shares of the shale producer surged more than 10% Friday morning after reports that oil giant Exxon Mobil was finalizing a blockbuster deal to acquire it, worth about $60 billion.Levi Strauss (LEVI): After reporting that revenue fell short of expectations and cutting its full-year sales guidance, the clothing company fell 0.83%.Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM): Shares rose more than 1% after the company reported a smaller-than-expected decline in revenue, boosted by demand for AI and other advanced chips. Taiwan Semiconductor produces chips for Apple, Nvidia and other tech companies.Tesla (TSLA): Shares in Tesla fell over 2% Friday morning after the company again cut prices of its Model 3 compact sedan and the Model Y SUV. The US Securities and Exchange Commission is also suing the company's chief executive, Elon Musk , to compel him to testify over his actions surrounding the purchase of Twitter, now called X.Stunning jobs report bolsters the 'higher for longer' stance at the FedThe blockbuster September jobs report released on Friday came in nearly double the figure that economists had predicted. The muscular reading offered yet another data point showing the economy is more resilient than many had expected, even in the face of an aggressive tightening campaign by the Federal Reserve.Experts say the strong labor market bolsters the case for the Fed to increase rates again, and further drives home the need for the central bank to maintain elevated rates for a longer period of time."Friday's jobs report suggests that the labor report remains very strong and cements the case for an additional Fed rate hike this year, and it also likely delays the pace of eventual rate cuts," said Robert Schein, chief investment officer at Blanke Schein Wealth Management. "Investors will need to get used to the higher for longer narrative on interest rates given the strength of the economy."The market is now predicting a greater likelihood the Fed will increase rates next month, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. Just a day before the jobs report, the forecast showed a 20% probability of a rate increase in November. That number jumped to nearly 30% on Friday.Since job losses aren't piling up as a consequence of the Fed's prior rate hikes, some experts point to the increasing likelihood of a soft landing. "Resilient jobs growth shows there is some cushion for the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool inflation without causing job losses," said Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor’s lead economist. "'As the labor market is in a resilient holding pattern, we’re one month closer to exiting 2023 without a recession."Stocks open lower after blockbuster jobs reportThe first week of October headed for more losses after stocks sank at the opening bell on Friday. Investors recoiled after the

newly released September jobs report showed the US economy added 336,000 jobs, shattering expectations that had called for 170,00 additions. The latest jobs data fueled concerns that the labor market isn't slowing as fast as the Federal Reserve would like as it struggles to lower inflation.The S&P 500 (^GSPC) lost 0.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) decreased by about 0.3% or nearly 100 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) gave up about 0.5%.Tesla, Activision Blizzard, and Coca-Cola: Stocks trending in premarket tradingHere are some of the stocks leading Yahoo Finance’s trending tickers page in premarket trading on Friday:Tesla (TSLA): Shares in Tesla fell over 2%. Tesla again cut prices of its Model 3 compact sedan and the Model Y SUV.Activision Blizzard (ATVI): Activision’s shares rose almost 1% premarket. Reports said Microsoft is aiming to close its $69 billion deal for "Call of Duty" publisher Activision Blizzard on Oct. 13.Coca-Cola (KO): Shares in Coca-Cola rose almost 1% premarket after the previous day's drop. The fizzy drinks company’s shares have taken a hit amid focus on the impact of weight-loss drugs.Nestlé (NESN.SW): Nestlé shares fell 3% on Friday. The food and drink maker's shares were under pressure as investors weighed the potential impact of weight-loss drugs and how it could reduce spending on food.MThe US labor market was so back in SeptemberThe US labor market added 336,000 jobs in September, nearly double the 170,000 expected by Wall Street economists and a sign the labor market's resilience may continue to push the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates elevated or even raise rates further.The unemployment rate in September was unchanged at 3.8% as labor participation remained steady from the prior month. A rise in participation pushed unemployment higher in August.Wage growth slowed modestly in September, with average hourly earnings rising 4.2% over the prior year, less than the 4.3% that was expected, which would've matched the increase seen in August.In the initial aftermath of this report odds the Fed raises rates next month rose to about 29% from 20% as of Thursday. We'll keep a close eye on where these odds shake out over the coming weeks, and particularly ahead of inflation data due out next Thursday.KStock futures rise with all eyes on US payrolls printThe major US stock indexes were poised to open higher on Friday, as investors waited for the release of the key US monthly jobs report that could set the tone for Federal Reserve policy.Futures on the S&P 500 (^GSPC) were up 0.24%, while those on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 0.22%, or 74 points. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 stepped 0.28% higher.Show moreClick here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocksRead the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

[wwwsarms4musclecom]

cas: 84379-13-5  Bretazenil factory low price

CBNumber: CB6503200

Chemical Name: Bretazenil

Molecular Formula: C19H20BrN3O3

Formula Weight: 418.28

CAS No.: 84379-13-5

Bretazenil (Ro16-6028) is an imidazopyrrolobenzodiazepine anxiolytic drug which is derived from the benzodiazepine family, and was invented in 1988. It is most closely related in structure to the GABA antagonist flumazenil, although its effects are somewhat different. It is classified as a high-potency benzodiazepine due to its high affinity binding to benzodiazepine binding sites where it acts as a partial agonist. Its profile as a partial agonist and preclinical trial data suggests that it may have a reduced adverse effect profile. In particular bretazenil has been proposed to cause a less strong development of tolerance and withdrawal syndrome. Bretazenil differs from traditional 1,4-benzodiazepines by being a partial agonist and because it binds to α1, α2, α3, α4, α5 and α6 subunit containing GABAA receptor benzodiazepine receptor complexes.

Bretazenil is an anxiolytic drug which is derived from the benzodiazepine family, and was invented in 1988. It is most closely related in structure to the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil, although its effects are somewhat different.

Bretazenil was originally developed as an anti-anxiety drug, but never commercialised. It is a partial agonist for GABAA receptors in the brain. David Nutt from the University of Bristol has suggested bretazenil as a possible base from which to make a better social drug, as it displays several of the positive effects of alcohol intoxication such as relaxation and sociability, but without the bad effects such as aggression, amnesia, nausea, loss of coordination, liver disease and brain damage. The effects of bretazenil can also be quickly reversed by the action of flumazenil, which is used as an antidote to benzodiazepine overdose, in contrast to alcohol for which there is no effective and reliable antidote.

However, while less addictive than benzodiazepine full agonists such as diazepam, long-term use of bretazenil would still be expected to result in dependence and addiction. Bretazenil, were it to be made commercially available, would thus most likely be classed as a controlled substance, e.g. Schedule III or Schedule IV in the USA, and so is unlikely to ever be commercialised for recreational use in that country. More liberal jurisdictions however might potentially permit the sale of bretazenil as a recreational alternative to alcohol, especially in countries such as Russia where liver and brain damage from chronic alcohol abuse place a severe burden on the health service and so the potential advantages of a less toxic alternative drug might outweigh the complications of introducing a new recreational drug to the market

The imidazobenzodiazepines bretazenil, imidazenil, and FG-8205 (Figure 10a) are high-affinity partial agonists for GABAA receptor subtypes that contain α1, α2, α3, and α5 subunits. These compounds are anxiolytic in animal models, with a greater separation between doses required for anxiolytic versus sedative effects than that observed for diazepam. Where studied, these compounds also show little evidence for tolerance to the anxiolytic effects, do not display withdrawal, and have a lower abuse potential than full BZ agonists in nonhuman primates. Bretazenil (Figure 10a) entered clinical studies in the mid-1980s and was efficacious in GAD and panic disorder,112 with a lower abuse potential than diazepam.113 However, bretazenil was sedative, with little evidence for separation between anxiolytic and sedative effects,114 and its clinical development was discontinued.

[jojos-bizarre-sims]

Oh shit, everyone

Giorno’s trying to stop Tippy from using the drugs mod

Please hlep quikc he’s coming straight fro me

Omg I jsut need your mom’s credit card nmuber and the 3 digits on the back

Please help omfg he’s gonna get me

help ple

[macgyvermedical]

For the Last Time- Nerve Agents are NOT the Only Chemical Weapons: a “Golden Lancehead, Etc...” Science Review

So this one is probably going to be shorter than other ones I’ve done for this show, but having conveniently just refreshed my hospital decon team certification, taken a cumulative exam in EHS, and watched this episode (I’m a tad behind), I needed to do some talking on it.

Awl - X-Ray + Penny - Duct Tape + Jack - CD + Hoagie Foil - Guts + Fuel + Hope - Wilderness + Training + Survival - Father + Bride + Betrayal - Lidar + Rogues + Duty - Nightmares - Seeds + Permafrost + Feather - Friends + Enemies + Border - Mason + Cable + Choices - Bitter Harvest - Kid + Plane + Cable + Truck - Tesla + Bell + Edison + Mac -

To recap, after Oversight’s death from cancer (season 5 has an absolutely wild timeline so far), Mac seeks out the help of former classmate Frankie to help him develop a new treatment modality based on the venom of a very rare, critically endangered lancehead viper. The venom is extremely dangerous, and can also, it turns out, be chemically altered to become a very potent nerve agent. Frankie unknowingly provides the information to create the nerve agent to the episode’s bad guy, and the race is on to stop the agent from being released into an airport and poisoning a bunch of people.

Intro to the Golden Lancehead

Since the episode centers around the Golden Lancehead Viper, we should probably start by talking about what they are:

Bozer described the Golden Lancehead as “One of the rarest and deadliest snakes in the world. Found only on one island off the coast of Sao Paulo, the Brazilian Government has made it illegal to transport or own.” Then, quoting a nature documentary: “The golden lancehead’s venom targets the nervous system of it’s prey with pinpoint accuracy- causing blood blisters, intestinal bleeding, tissue necrosis, hemmorrhage...” 

Golden Lanceheads are a real type of snake that really do only live on a tiny island off the coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil. They are 28-inch-long, cream and yellow snakes with a lance-shaped head and a diamond-like pattern of scales.

The island, called Queimada Grande, is uninhabited and travel there is forbidden, an order enforced by the Brazilian Navy. This is both to protect the viper, which is listed as critically endangered, and to protect the humans- given the remoteness of the island and the danger posed by the wildlife, it would be very dangerous for rescuers to come find you if you became injured or were bitten by any of the multiple venomous creatures that live there.

In the episode, Mac and Frankie travel to a pet shop in Sao Paulo to collect a sample of the venom from an illegally acquired snake. In real life, there is a lucrative black market for the species, which can fetch up to $30,000 per snake, meaning Mac paying $20,000 for a sample of venom would not have been necessarily unheard-of.

The pet shop owner tells them that the person who ventured to the island died from a bite, describing it as (paraphrased) “his face swelled, blood poured from everywhere, and even though they cut off his arm to try to save him at the hospital, he died anyway.”

Due in all likelihood to the fact that the island is uninhabited and forbidden, there has never actually been an official documented bite in a human from this species (though unofficial reports suggest it can indeed be deadly). Chemical analysis of the venom indicates it is likely the most potent and fastest-acting venom of it’s genus, though it is likely a lot more effective at killing birds and large insects than mammals given its primary choice of prey.

Bites from other vipers in its genus run a mortality rate of between 3% (with medical care) and 7% (without medical care). Most of their venoms are made of many different sugar-like molecules called glycans which disrupt proteins in animal cells, often killing the cells. Lancehead venom is similarly cytotoxic, causing the death of cells in tissue and blood and disruption of normal blood clotting, causing severe bleeding. Symptoms include pain and extreme swelling of the area around the bite, followed by tissue death and symptoms of nausea, dizziness, headache, and sweating. Shortly after that, there is a disruption in blood clotting, causing severe bleeding throughout the body. This severe bleeding, along with kidney failure and bleeding into the brain, is typically what causes death in those 3-7% of cases. Occasionally amputation is attempted as part of treatment, but it is usually due to the extreme amount of tissue death that occurs surrounding the bite, not necessarily to stop the spread of the venom as alleged in the episode.

So basically, Bozer and his nature documentary are largely correct in where the Golden Lancehead lives, its legal restrictions, and the symptoms resulting from envenomation by lancehead vipers. The only thing that is not accurate is the neurotoxicity part- lancehead venom is hemotoxic (blood toxic) and cytotoxic (toxic to cells and tissues), but there is no indication that it causes any kind of neurotoxicity (brain toxic).

Cancer Treatment from Snake Venoms

In the episode, Mac describes the research he and Frankie are undertaking as “The therapy uses toxins extracted from snake venom, which billions of years of evolution have taught it to attack the weakest cells in a creature’s body to target cancerous tumors.”

One of the great things about snake venoms (and honestly animal venoms) is that they are not single toxins. A single snake’s venom has nearly a hundred different bioactive proteins, enzymes, glycans, and other chemicals. One of the great things is because so many of these toxins are bioactive in some way, venoms give pharmacologists a pallette of various bioactive substances already in existence that they can test and use to create drugs.

Several chemicals we use as drugs were originally discovered in snake venom. For example, enalapril (a blood pressure lowering medicine), eptifibatide (a blood thinner), hemocoagulase (a clotting agent), and ximelagatran (a blood thinner), were all discovered originally as components in snake venom. Some studies into king cobra and saw scaled viper venom has shown possible anti-cancer properties (in the form of drugs that prevent tumors from growing, prevent blood vessels from growing in cancer cells, and prevent cancer cells from spreading throughout the body), though none of these have been developed into therapeutic drugs.

Since there are literally hundreds of bioactive chemicals, enzymes, and proteins in snake venom, it’s definitely not impossible that someone could choose to do this research, and definitely not impossible that someone would be able to find something useful in treating cancer or any other disease. In fact, since the venom is so cytotoxic, there is a possibility that there is a compound in it that has a preference for certain cancer cells. The problems with what Mac says are mainly:

1. that as far as we know, nothing in venom would selectively choose cancer cells based on their “weakness”- generally drugs that do target cancer cells target the fact that they have mutated in a certain way that lets certain chemicals find them or that they are fast-dividing cells (similar to hair or skin cells) and fast-disrupted cells get killed first if a chemical disrupts cell division.

2. Snakes have only been around for 143million years, and venomous creatures have only been around for 170million years. Even one billion years is a LOT longer than that. Mac could have said hundreds of millions and it would still have been technically correct at least grammatically.

Chemical Weapons from Snake Venom:

So what about chemical weapons?

I mean, sure, if you consider that there are hundreds of chemicals in any snake venom, at least one of them is probably going to meet at least some of the criteria for a good chemical weapon. Whether or not that chemical weapon would count as a “Nerve Agent” is kind of up to the substance itself.

Chemical weapons are weapons that fall into one of the following categories:

Nerve Agents- these are things like VX, Sarin, Tabun, and other agents that attack the system that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Without that system, too much acetylcholine builds up, causing constricted pupils, twitching, excessive saliva and mucous, eye pain, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, seizures, and death if not treated promptly.

Blood Agents- these are things like phosgene, arsine, and cyanide that disrupt the blood’s ability to transport oxygen through the body. These cause symptoms like difficulty breathing, dizziness, headache, increased heart rate and respiratory rate, nausea and vomiting, and eventually seizures and death.

Blister Agents- These are things like lewisite and mustard gas that cause severe irritation to skin, eyes, mucous membranes, and lungs. These cause symptoms of pain, redness and large blisters on skin, difficulty breathing and swelling/blisters in the lungs and airway, loss of vision, fever, and nausea/vomiting. Death either occurs due to swelling and blisters in the airway or infection.

Choking Agents- These are things like phosgene and chlorine that irritate eyes and airways. They cause symptoms of watering eyes, coughing, chest tightness, and nausea/vomiting. They eventually cause severe pulmonary edema which can cause death.

Incapacitating Agents- These are agents like LSD, BZ, and fentanyl which are not necessarily designed to kill their targets, but leave them unable to respond to an attack either by making them less conscious (BZ, fentanyl) or by causing severe hallucinations and delusions that prevent them from being able to carry out their normal duties (BZ, LSD).

While there are many neurotoxic snake venoms that are known to have chemicals that interact with acetylcholine (causing paralysis, respiratory failure, and seizures), as far as I was able to find, the lancehead viper genus is not one of them. In fact, despite what Bozer said, there’s not a lot of neurotoxicity at all in the Golden Lancehead Viper’s venom- it’s primarily hemotoxic and cytotoxic.

So, basically, while it might be possible to make a nerve agent out of certain types of venom (though why would you, exactly? We’ve got tons of nerve agents, we know a lot about them, and they’re not exactly hard to create in a lab.) it would be more likely that you’d be in the market to find a new blood agent, blister agent, or even a choking or incapacitating agent if you were using Golden Lancehead Viper venom to discover it.

Just seems like a lot of work when you could get potentially a lot more useful venom legally and less dangerously.

But the more I think about it, I think the writers chose the snake due to it’s difficulty to acquire and it’s mystery, the chemical agent due to it’s well-known-ness, and fudged things so they worked together in the story.

But Now, the Real Question:

Could snake venoms eat through metal using acid, and would ionizing radiation change that? 

“Here’s another fun fact- when a Golden Lancehead attacks, it’s venom reacts with the iron in the red blood cells of it’s prey, creating an acidic byproduct strong enough to eat flesh and corrode metal.” -Mac

Certain snake venoms actually do become more acidic or more alkaline in their victim’s bodies, and in the presence of certain metal ions. However, as far as I was able to tell, the most acidic a venom would normally become was about a pH of 4 (somewhere between soda and coffee) and the most alkaline was about 9 (somewhere around baking soda). So not really capable of “eating flesh” (though enzymatic activity could digest proteins in the victims’ tissues) and it would take a lot longer than the episode showed to cause the corrosion necessary to dissolve a lock.

That’s not to say that a specially designed and purified chemical weapon created from a compound in snake venom would be different than the og snake venom, but the likelihood that ionizing radiation would change it so drastically would be a real bummer for a terrorist, since uncontrolled releases of your weapons are definitely not ideal.

Conclusion:

Overall, there was definitely some real passable science in here, but some of the dialogue choices were so poor that it made it difficult to respect. But generally decent science, even if the “cooler” stuff wouldn’t necessarily have worked.

[basils-plants-and-potions]

*shows Basil footage of Pit, who is currently under the effects of BZ*

(Check somethings diner the posts are recent)

"I looked into it and BZ makes a nice drug for incapacitation... I kinda feel bad for him, though.."