Venomous, Christie Wilcox
Venomous, Christie Wilcox
1 Rating(s)
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Venomous
How Earth's Deadliest Creatures Mastered Biochemistry

Author: Christie Wilcox

Narrator: Emily Rankin

Unabridged: 6 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/09/2016


Synopsis

A thrilling tale of encounters with nature’s masters of biochemistry

In Venomous, the molecular biologist Christie Wilcox investigates venoms and the animals that use them, revealing how they work, what they do to the human body, and how they can revolutionize biochemistry and medicine today.

Wilcox takes us from the coast of Indonesia to the rainforests of Peru in search of the secrets of these mysterious animals. We encounter jellyfish that release microscopic venom-packed darts known to kill humans in just two minutes, a two-inch caterpillar with toxic bristles that trigger hemorrhaging throughout the body, and a stunning blue-ringed octopus with saliva capable of inducing total paralysis. How could an animal as simple as a jellyfish evolve such an intricate, deadly poison? And how can a snake possess enzymes that tear through tissue yet leave its own body unscathed? Wilcox meets the fearless scientists who often risk their lives studying these lethal beasts to find out, and puts her own life on the line to examine these species up close. Drawing on her own research on venom chemistry and evolution, she also shows how venom is helping us untangle the complex mechanisms of some of our most devastating diseases.

Venomous reveals that the animals we fear the most actually hold the keys to a deeper understanding of evolution, adaptation, and immunity. Thrilling and surprising at every turn, Venomous will change the way you think about our natural world.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer on July 22, 2019

This is a great idea for a book, and it has almost everything - cool animals, solid science, anecdotes of all-too-close encounters, plenty of enthusiasm. The main thing Venomous is missing is good writing. Christie Wilcox, whose PhD is in lionfish venom evolution, is probably a better scientist than......more

Goodreads review by Jim on October 11, 2016

Several reviews said Wilcox was no Mary Roach. I agree that she's not quite as funny, but she is entertaining & interesting. I was more worried that I might get lost because of too many scientific terms, but didn't find this to be a problem most of the time. The next to the last chapter got somewhat......more

Goodreads review by Cav on April 30, 2020

This was an interesting read. Author Christie Wilcox is a scientist and science writer. Although the book contained quite a lot of super-interesting writing, I feel like it suffers from a common problem of scientists writing books; the book lacks a central narrative, and flow that holds it together.......more