Lizard Spit Lab Science Game
Chapter 1

Decoding ancient remedies

Chapter 2

Copying nature's chemical weapons

Chapter 3

Working backward from the disease

Chapter 4

The digital drug revolution

Ch 2 · Copying nature's chemical weapons
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007skaty Deathstalker scorpion venom assists in brain surgery.

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007skaty Deathstalker Scorpion Venom

We use a deadly sting to make the cancer cells glow!

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The mechanisms that cause harm can be repurposed to protect.

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007skaty Gila monster saliva helps scientists treat diabetes

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The battle of the blue mold

007skaty In 1928, Alexander Fleming noticed the mold killed bacteria, prompting scientists to mass-produce penicillin from its natural defenses.

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Venom in the bloodstream

007skaty Researchers in the 1970s reverse-engineered venom peptides to block blood pressure receptors.

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Lizard Spit Lab
BETA

007skaty Sort molecular compounds in lizard spit to discover how scientists reverse-engineer venom into medicine.

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Fun Fact

Glowing scorpions: Many scorpions naturally glow a bright neon blue-green under ultraviolet light, a mysterious trait that occurs even in prehistoric fossils.

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Glossary
venom (noun)
A toxic substance secreted by certain animals and injected into prey or enemies by biting or stinging. Researchers analyze peptide-rich cone snail secretions to design targeted treatments for chronic pain and cancer.

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Gossip

Which creature would you trust to help design a medicine?

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Quiz

Which scientists shared the 1945 Nobel Prize with Alexander Fleming for purifying and mass-producing penicillin?

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007skaty How viper venom alters the human bloodstream.

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Quiz

On what type of food was the exceptionally productive strain of Penicillium mold found in Peoria, Illinois, in 1943?

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Quiz

Which enzyme does the blood pressure medication Captopril inhibit?

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Quiz

What is the common Portuguese name of the venomous Brazilian pit viper used in this research?

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Quiz

How does the Gila monster's saliva hormone help humans with type 2 diabetes?

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Quiz

Where is the venomous Gila monster natively found in the wild?

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Quiz

What is the name of the specific peptide from deathstalker venom used to target tumor cells?

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Quiz

What medical challenge does 'tumor paint' help surgeons overcome during brain surgery?

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