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Alive, America, and Asian: did you know? Photographer Diana Kim, whose father abandoned her when she was 5, wanted to document the lives of the homeless. Searching for subjects on the streets, she came upon a thin and distant man in rags who looked somewhat familiar. It was her father. By fate or by chance, she'd found him after 25 years. PHOTO: DIANA KIM DIDYOUKNOWBLOG.COM did-you-kno: He had schizophrenia. He didnā€™t recognize her. She did everything she could to connect with him, but he refused treatment, medication, food, or new clothing. Eventually, he said to her: ā€œDiana, I am so sorry for not being in your life. I am so happy that you have a family of your own now. Do better for themā€¦ ā€¦ Donā€™t worry about me or what everyone says about me. If you want to make me proud and happy, be there for your family the way your mom and I never were. Stop trying to save everyoneā€¦just worry about yourself and your family. And donā€™t forget why I named you Diana, you are the light within the darkness.ā€ So she refused to give up. After suffering a heart attack, he agreed to get help and slowly took control of his own life. One day he suddenly called her to invite her out for coffee. Later that afternoon, she wrote on her blog: ā€œI feel like I just met my father for the first time today.ā€ ā€œI struggled to reconcile my feelings toward my fatherā€™s absence in my life, while continuing to care deeply for him and other homeless individuals.ā€ ā€œOver time, I learned to navigate through my feelings of desperation and became more vocal in my community about my fatherā€™s condition and what itā€™s like to watch a loved one battle mental illness.ā€ He is now doing very well, and they are rebuilding their relationship from the ground up. ā€œSo long as we are alive in this world, every day is an opportunity to take hold of that ā€˜second chance.ā€™ There is no failure unless you give up, and he never gave up. And I havenā€™t given up on him.ā€ Source
Alive, America, and Asian: did you know? Photographer Diana Kim, whose father abandoned her when she was 5, wanted to document the lives of the homeless. Searching for subjects on the streets, she came upon a thin and distant man in rags who looked somewhat familiar. It was her father. By fate or by chance, she'd found him after 25 years. PHOTO: DIANA KIM DIDYOUKNOWBLOG.COM did-you-kno: He had schizophrenia. He didnā€™t recognize her. She did everything she could to connect with him, but he refused treatment, medication, food, or new clothing. Eventually, he said to her: ā€œDiana, I am so sorry for not being in your life. I am so happy that you have a family of your own now. Do better for themā€¦ ā€¦ Donā€™t worry about me or what everyone says about me. If you want to make me proud and happy, be there for your family the way your mom and I never were. Stop trying to save everyoneā€¦just worry about yourself and your family. And donā€™t forget why I named you Diana, you are the light within the darkness.ā€ So she refused to give up. After suffering a heart attack, he agreed to get help and slowly took control of his own life. One day he suddenly called her to invite her out for coffee. Later that afternoon, she wrote on her blog: ā€œI feel like I just met my father for the first time today.ā€ ā€œI struggled to reconcile my feelings toward my fatherā€™s absence in my life, while continuing to care deeply for him and other homeless individuals.ā€ ā€œOver time, I learned to navigate through my feelings of desperation and became more vocal in my community about my fatherā€™s condition and what itā€™s like to watch a loved one battle mental illness.ā€ He is now doing very well, and they are rebuilding their relationship from the ground up. ā€œSo long as we are alive in this world, every day is an opportunity to take hold of that ā€˜second chance.ā€™ There is no failure unless you give up, and he never gave up. And I havenā€™t given up on him.ā€ Source

did-you-kno: He had schizophrenia. He didnā€™t recognize her. She did everything she could to connect with him, but he refused treatment, m...

Android, Drugs, and Saw: @ajplus Olympic champion Caster Semenya today began her legal challenge against the IAAF over a new policy that requires female athletes with naturally high testosterone to take hormone- lowering medications or compete against men. She says the rules are discriminatory and unfair 12:04 PM Feb 18, 2019 Twitter Web Client Nerve Bender @okemzuruoke First they said that having a vagina is what makes you a woman. Then when they saw that you were black and more powerful, they decided that having a vagina wasn't enough; you need low testosterone too This is humiliating and cruel. They just never like to see black women win AJ+@ajplus Olympic champion Caster Semenya today began her legal challenge against the IAAF over a new policy that requires female athletes with naturally high 12:48 AM Feb 19, 2019 Twitter for Android Nerve Bender @okemzuruoke It is also worthy to note that this new rule only applies to athletes competing in the 400m, 800nm and 1500m which makes Semenya a specific target because she is the ONLY athlete in the competitions whose "unfair advantage" is being questioned/under scrutiny 3:19 AM Feb 19, 2019 Twitter for Android Nerve Bender @okemzuruoke Isn't it quite telling that the IAAF, an organisation that strongly kicks against the use of performance- enhancing drugs, wants athletes to use drugs that medically alter their production of hormones and thereby limit their natural performance? AJ+@ajplus Olympic champion Caster Semenya today began her legal challenge against the IAAF over a new policy that requires female athletes with naturally high 2:30 AM Feb 19, 2019 Twitter for Android erikkillmongerdontpullout: thatpettyblackgirl: This is so unfair This connects back to what a lot of Black cis and trans women have been saying about constructions of gender resting in whiteness. The things people say that routinely exclude trans women have been used to deny womenhood to Black cis women as well.
Android, Drugs, and Saw: @ajplus Olympic champion Caster Semenya today began her legal challenge against the IAAF over a new policy that requires female athletes with naturally high testosterone to take hormone- lowering medications or compete against men. She says the rules are discriminatory and unfair 12:04 PM Feb 18, 2019 Twitter Web Client Nerve Bender @okemzuruoke First they said that having a vagina is what makes you a woman. Then when they saw that you were black and more powerful, they decided that having a vagina wasn't enough; you need low testosterone too This is humiliating and cruel. They just never like to see black women win AJ+@ajplus Olympic champion Caster Semenya today began her legal challenge against the IAAF over a new policy that requires female athletes with naturally high 12:48 AM Feb 19, 2019 Twitter for Android Nerve Bender @okemzuruoke It is also worthy to note that this new rule only applies to athletes competing in the 400m, 800nm and 1500m which makes Semenya a specific target because she is the ONLY athlete in the competitions whose "unfair advantage" is being questioned/under scrutiny 3:19 AM Feb 19, 2019 Twitter for Android Nerve Bender @okemzuruoke Isn't it quite telling that the IAAF, an organisation that strongly kicks against the use of performance- enhancing drugs, wants athletes to use drugs that medically alter their production of hormones and thereby limit their natural performance? AJ+@ajplus Olympic champion Caster Semenya today began her legal challenge against the IAAF over a new policy that requires female athletes with naturally high 2:30 AM Feb 19, 2019 Twitter for Android erikkillmongerdontpullout: thatpettyblackgirl: This is so unfair This connects back to what a lot of Black cis and trans women have been saying about constructions of gender resting in whiteness. The things people say that routinely exclude trans women have been used to deny womenhood to Black cis women as well.

erikkillmongerdontpullout: thatpettyblackgirl: This is so unfair This connects back to what a lot of Black cis and trans women have been...

Cute, Fucking, and Lazy: lazy-iceland: A YEAR AGO I WENT TO A CON AND AUSTRIAā€™S VOICE ACTOR WAS THERE AND HE WAS SO FUCKING COOL HERE YOU GO HERE HE IS BEING A CUTE NERD
Cute, Fucking, and Lazy: lazy-iceland: A YEAR AGO I WENT TO A CON AND AUSTRIAā€™S VOICE ACTOR WAS THERE AND HE WAS SO FUCKING COOL HERE YOU GO HERE HE IS BEING A CUTE NERD

lazy-iceland: A YEAR AGO I WENT TO A CON AND AUSTRIAā€™S VOICE ACTOR WAS THERE AND HE WAS SO FUCKING COOL HERE YOU GO HERE HE IS BEING A CUTE...

Alive, Anaconda, and Animals: i-should-be-writing-rn: inlovewithaleheather: thecuckoohaslanded: gerbthenerd: alexander-lamington: thelizardprincess: biglawbear: blacksirencry: swaglexander-the-great: #Thatā€™s a#Thatā€™s a blue ringed octopus#Youā€™re going to die do you realise that#It is literally one of the most deadly animals in the world#Not just in Australia or just in the ocean in THE WORLD#Put it DOWN#And go to a hospital jfcĀ via platonic-rabbitĀ  me tryna find out if this fool died ā€œThe blue-ringed octopus, despite its small size, carries enough venom to kill twenty-six adult humans within minutes. Their bites are tiny and often painless, with many victims not realizing they have been envenomated until respiratory depression and paralysis start to set in.[8] No blue-ringed octopus antivenom is available yet, making it one of the deadliest reef inhabitants in the ocean.ā€ Holy shit And this is why I donā€™t go in the ocean anymore Also the blue rings literally only show up when it is distressed so this person has angered it!!! You are in danger friend!!! Actually this guy keeps them as pets theyā€™re on his instagram (william_exotique) and he frequently holds then and I just? Donā€™t know why? And also every picture or video he posts of them shows the blue rings so theyā€™re always in distress I just do not understand why heā€™s doing this #AMY EXPLAIN HOW DUMB THIS GUY ISĀ  I mean OP pretty much covered it. Ā A blue ringed octopus is almost on the level of CONE SNAIL on the list of things you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT PICK UP UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. But ask and you shall receive, Ā On this episode ofĀ ā€œFun Facts With Cuckoo,ā€ DEAD. Ā YOUā€™RE DEAD. Ā EVERYTHING IS DEAD AND YOU SHOULD NEVER TOUCH ANYTHING IN THE OCEAN EVER AGAIN. There are many things that will kill you. [citation needed] There are fewer, but still many things that will kill you FAST. There are yet fewer things that kill you fast and by such an overwhelming margin of overkill that nervous laughter is our only solace in the dark of this terrible, surprisingly Lovecraftian world of unearthly horrors that we live in. Of the things that I know about which will kill you fast via just plain insultingly potent venom, which is a not insignificant number of things because I know a not insignificant number of things, there are about 3 things in the ocean ā€“ IN THE WHOLEĀ OCEAN ā€“ which are so insanely, mind-bogglingly deadly that there is pretty much no possible hope for survival (I mean you CAN, but god help you if youā€™re ever in that situation, because godā€™s just about damn near the only thing that CAN help you). Ā THE. WHOLE. OCEAN. Those three things are the Irukandji (a tiny (1cm) species of box jellyfish, which has stingers not only on its tentacles but on its BELL, for reasons no one has definitively figured out, and is so toxic despite its size its sting can cause a severe brain hemorrhage), the cone snail (a group of carnivorous sea snails that is accepted to be the most venomous animals on earth, with a STUPIDLY fast acting and extremely powerful neurotoxin that has in at least one case killed a human ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY, because the swimmer who found two beautiful shells (unfortunately cone snails tend to have very pretty shells which makes people want to pick them up) was holding them up for a picture and ended up being stabbed in the neck by not one but TWO cone snails at the same time, and it is believed that she was literally dead before she hit the ground, I mean LITERALLY in a 100% non-fictional and non-exaggerated way, in between the time the two cone snails stabbed her and the time her limp body hit the sand, she was not alive anymore), and the blue ringed octopus. It is POSSIBLE to survive any of these. Ā But not without immediate medical attention. Ā Of these three, the Irukandji is by far the most treatable, because Australia and other coastal regions (including Florida and other parts of the US) are kind of experienced in dealing with box jellyfish. The blue ringed octopus will fucking kill you. Ā Thereā€™s no antidote for their venom, ONE COMPONENT OF WHICH (tetrodotoxin) is 1200 times deadlier than cyanide. Ā Itā€™s a powerful neurotoxin (most of the worst venoms are because the species that produce them need to kill or at least paralyze their prey quickly, like jellyfish whose fragile tentacles could be damaged if their food doesnā€™t stop struggling) that attacks the sodium channels and causes muscle paralysis. Ā It doesnā€™t necessarily kill you quickly. Ā It PARALYZES you quickly, so that you canā€™t really call for help or describe the problem, and you will probably end up slowly suffocating from a paralyzed diaphragm. Ā Tetrodotoxin can be metabolized by the body in a matter of hours, but it can also kill you in a matter of minutes if you get a lethal dose (which isnā€™t much, the LD50 or median lethal dose, the dose at which you have a 50% chance of survival, is only 8 MICROGRAMS per kilogram of body weight (as tested in mice)). Ā This is, by venom standards, not a large amount, which means the animal that is capable of putting this venom inside your body is very very good at killing the absolute shit out of you. DONā€™T TOUCH THE BLUE RINGED OCTOPUS. Now, because overkill is my motto, let me briefly explain why Conus geographus is the undisputed champion of YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE, AND FURTHERMORE FUCK YOU FOR THINKING OTHERWISE. A cone snail walks into a bar. Ā Youā€™d expect the bartender to ask,Ā ā€œwhatā€™s your poison,ā€ but they were paralyzed before they could ask and OH LOOK theyā€™re already FUCKING DEAD ON THE GROUND. Conus geographus is about 4-6 inches long and natureā€™s equivalent of Avada Kedavra. Ā Cone snails literally have their own KIND of toxins named after them: conotoxin. Ā Not only is there no antidote, but their venom AGGRESSIVELY RESISTS our ability to find a cure, because we barely understand how it works AND conotoxins are so internally varied, even within a single species, that any one antidote isnā€™t going to help because theyā€™re constantly mutating and evolving their venom to prevent their prey from evolving a resistance to it. Ā Plus their venom is like, a bunch of different venoms all at once JUST IN CASE any one of them wasnā€™t good enough. I want you to read these two sentences from the wiki page on conotoxin: ā€œConotoxins have a variety of mechanisms of actions, most of which have not been determined.ā€ ā€œThe LD50 of conotoxin is 50 ng/kg.ā€ Remember how the LD50Ā of tetrodotoxin is 8Ī¼g/kg? Ā Conotoxin is 160 times more potent. Ā FIFTY NANOGRAMS PER KILOGRAM HAS A 50% CHANCE OF KILLING YOU. A 220-POUND HUMAN HAS A 50% CHANCE OF SURVIVAL AGAINST JUST 5 MICROGRAMS OF CONOTOXIN. Ā  I DID SOME MATH. Ā  IT WOULD TAKE 7-9 MILLIGRAMS OF CONOTOXIN TO KILL A BLUE WHALE, THE HEAVIEST ANIMAL TO EVER LIVE. (based on weight estimates from 300-400,000 lbs.) Conus geographus is so fucking deadly thatĀ ā€œIn two cases of envenomation, only 0.0002-0.0005 mg resulted in severe paralysis.ā€ THIS THING KILLS STUFF SO HARD THAT BEFORE YOU HEAR THE FIRSTĀ ā€œMORTAL KOMBATā€ IN THE MORTAL KOMBAT THEME, THEREā€™S PROBABLY ALREADY BEEN A FATALITY. And guess what? Ā Cone snails donā€™t do that NOOB SHIT with the superficial biting or stinging. Ā Your wetsuit or gloves wonā€™t protect you. Ā Because homeboy didnā€™t bring teeth to evolutionā€™s knife fight. Ā Oh no. Ā It brought a motherfucking radula POISON HARPOON. Ā Itā€™s lightning fast and has way more piercing power than some silly little cnidocytes or salivary bacteria. Another component of their venom is being researched for its potential as a pain reliever. Ā ā€œWHY WOULD YOU DO THAT????ā€ you might reasonably ask. Ā And you would be right to do so, because science has gone too far and has surely sinned against the very image of Mollusca Kedavra. Ā Well, it turns out the answer isĀ ā€œResearch shows that certain component proteins of the venom target specific human pain receptors and can be up to 10,000 times more potent than morphine without morphineā€™s addictive properties and side-effects.ā€ Ā Thatā€™s right, the part of their venom that SPECIFICALLY DOESNā€™T HURT YOU is up to 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Also, Conus geographus (along with one other cone snail species, C. tulipa) is the only known non-human animal to weaponize insulin. Ā In addition to the normal insulin that the snails produce for their own use, their bodies manufacture an ADDITIONAL insulin molecule that is similar to the kind produced in fish (which they eat) for the sole purpose of stunning their prey through hypoglycemic shock. Ā BECAUSE APPARENTLY THEY DONā€™T FEEL LIKE THEYā€™D KILL YOU HARD ENOUGH OTHERWISE. IF you are going to survive the ALMIGHTY CONE SNAIL, WHO KNOWS NO FEAR, TRIUMPHANT HEDGEMON OF THE MOLECULAR ARMS RACE, TRUE BORN HEIR TO THE SCYTHE OF DEATH ITSELF, FISHSLAYER, GOD AMONG MOLLUSKS, WHOSE WRATH IS MERCIFUL ONLY IN ITS BREVITY, ADMIRABLE IN ITS BEAUTY AND UNSULLIED BY THE UNWORTHY TOUCH OF MORTAL HANDS OR SCALES OR REALLY ANYTHING IN RANGE OF ITS RADULA HARPOON, then literally the only thing thatā€™s going to save you is for you to be kept alive artificially (externalizing your respiratory functions to force your body to continue breathing, basically) until the effects of the venom wear off. Ā And because of how quickly this venom acts, you need to get that medical attention VERY, VERY FAST. And if you donā€™t get it, you will still be conscious while the paralysis slowly suffocates you to death. Donā€™t touch the pretty shells. Iā€™ve never been so intrigued to learn how easily I could be fucking exterminated from existence by the overpowered sea creatures of the world. Youā€™ve done a better job at keeping my attention then any of my teachers ever have. You know what Iā€™m putting this on the writing blog cause I personally can see potential in some fantasy villain attempting to weaponise cone snailsIn which case, all hail snail king šŸŒ
Alive, Anaconda, and Animals: i-should-be-writing-rn: inlovewithaleheather: thecuckoohaslanded: gerbthenerd: alexander-lamington: thelizardprincess: biglawbear: blacksirencry: swaglexander-the-great: #Thatā€™s a#Thatā€™s a blue ringed octopus#Youā€™re going to die do you realise that#It is literally one of the most deadly animals in the world#Not just in Australia or just in the ocean in THE WORLD#Put it DOWN#And go to a hospital jfcĀ via platonic-rabbitĀ  me tryna find out if this fool died ā€œThe blue-ringed octopus, despite its small size, carries enough venom to kill twenty-six adult humans within minutes. Their bites are tiny and often painless, with many victims not realizing they have been envenomated until respiratory depression and paralysis start to set in.[8] No blue-ringed octopus antivenom is available yet, making it one of the deadliest reef inhabitants in the ocean.ā€ Holy shit And this is why I donā€™t go in the ocean anymore Also the blue rings literally only show up when it is distressed so this person has angered it!!! You are in danger friend!!! Actually this guy keeps them as pets theyā€™re on his instagram (william_exotique) and he frequently holds then and I just? Donā€™t know why? And also every picture or video he posts of them shows the blue rings so theyā€™re always in distress I just do not understand why heā€™s doing this #AMY EXPLAIN HOW DUMB THIS GUY ISĀ  I mean OP pretty much covered it. Ā A blue ringed octopus is almost on the level of CONE SNAIL on the list of things you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT PICK UP UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. But ask and you shall receive, Ā On this episode ofĀ ā€œFun Facts With Cuckoo,ā€ DEAD. Ā YOUā€™RE DEAD. Ā EVERYTHING IS DEAD AND YOU SHOULD NEVER TOUCH ANYTHING IN THE OCEAN EVER AGAIN. There are many things that will kill you. [citation needed] There are fewer, but still many things that will kill you FAST. There are yet fewer things that kill you fast and by such an overwhelming margin of overkill that nervous laughter is our only solace in the dark of this terrible, surprisingly Lovecraftian world of unearthly horrors that we live in. Of the things that I know about which will kill you fast via just plain insultingly potent venom, which is a not insignificant number of things because I know a not insignificant number of things, there are about 3 things in the ocean ā€“ IN THE WHOLEĀ OCEAN ā€“ which are so insanely, mind-bogglingly deadly that there is pretty much no possible hope for survival (I mean you CAN, but god help you if youā€™re ever in that situation, because godā€™s just about damn near the only thing that CAN help you). Ā THE. WHOLE. OCEAN. Those three things are the Irukandji (a tiny (1cm) species of box jellyfish, which has stingers not only on its tentacles but on its BELL, for reasons no one has definitively figured out, and is so toxic despite its size its sting can cause a severe brain hemorrhage), the cone snail (a group of carnivorous sea snails that is accepted to be the most venomous animals on earth, with a STUPIDLY fast acting and extremely powerful neurotoxin that has in at least one case killed a human ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY, because the swimmer who found two beautiful shells (unfortunately cone snails tend to have very pretty shells which makes people want to pick them up) was holding them up for a picture and ended up being stabbed in the neck by not one but TWO cone snails at the same time, and it is believed that she was literally dead before she hit the ground, I mean LITERALLY in a 100% non-fictional and non-exaggerated way, in between the time the two cone snails stabbed her and the time her limp body hit the sand, she was not alive anymore), and the blue ringed octopus. It is POSSIBLE to survive any of these. Ā But not without immediate medical attention. Ā Of these three, the Irukandji is by far the most treatable, because Australia and other coastal regions (including Florida and other parts of the US) are kind of experienced in dealing with box jellyfish. The blue ringed octopus will fucking kill you. Ā Thereā€™s no antidote for their venom, ONE COMPONENT OF WHICH (tetrodotoxin) is 1200 times deadlier than cyanide. Ā Itā€™s a powerful neurotoxin (most of the worst venoms are because the species that produce them need to kill or at least paralyze their prey quickly, like jellyfish whose fragile tentacles could be damaged if their food doesnā€™t stop struggling) that attacks the sodium channels and causes muscle paralysis. Ā It doesnā€™t necessarily kill you quickly. Ā It PARALYZES you quickly, so that you canā€™t really call for help or describe the problem, and you will probably end up slowly suffocating from a paralyzed diaphragm. Ā Tetrodotoxin can be metabolized by the body in a matter of hours, but it can also kill you in a matter of minutes if you get a lethal dose (which isnā€™t much, the LD50 or median lethal dose, the dose at which you have a 50% chance of survival, is only 8 MICROGRAMS per kilogram of body weight (as tested in mice)). Ā This is, by venom standards, not a large amount, which means the animal that is capable of putting this venom inside your body is very very good at killing the absolute shit out of you. DONā€™T TOUCH THE BLUE RINGED OCTOPUS. Now, because overkill is my motto, let me briefly explain why Conus geographus is the undisputed champion of YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE, AND FURTHERMORE FUCK YOU FOR THINKING OTHERWISE. A cone snail walks into a bar. Ā Youā€™d expect the bartender to ask,Ā ā€œwhatā€™s your poison,ā€ but they were paralyzed before they could ask and OH LOOK theyā€™re already FUCKING DEAD ON THE GROUND. Conus geographus is about 4-6 inches long and natureā€™s equivalent of Avada Kedavra. Ā Cone snails literally have their own KIND of toxins named after them: conotoxin. Ā Not only is there no antidote, but their venom AGGRESSIVELY RESISTS our ability to find a cure, because we barely understand how it works AND conotoxins are so internally varied, even within a single species, that any one antidote isnā€™t going to help because theyā€™re constantly mutating and evolving their venom to prevent their prey from evolving a resistance to it. Ā Plus their venom is like, a bunch of different venoms all at once JUST IN CASE any one of them wasnā€™t good enough. I want you to read these two sentences from the wiki page on conotoxin: ā€œConotoxins have a variety of mechanisms of actions, most of which have not been determined.ā€ ā€œThe LD50 of conotoxin is 50 ng/kg.ā€ Remember how the LD50Ā of tetrodotoxin is 8Ī¼g/kg? Ā Conotoxin is 160 times more potent. Ā FIFTY NANOGRAMS PER KILOGRAM HAS A 50% CHANCE OF KILLING YOU. A 220-POUND HUMAN HAS A 50% CHANCE OF SURVIVAL AGAINST JUST 5 MICROGRAMS OF CONOTOXIN. Ā  I DID SOME MATH. Ā  IT WOULD TAKE 7-9 MILLIGRAMS OF CONOTOXIN TO KILL A BLUE WHALE, THE HEAVIEST ANIMAL TO EVER LIVE. (based on weight estimates from 300-400,000 lbs.) Conus geographus is so fucking deadly thatĀ ā€œIn two cases of envenomation, only 0.0002-0.0005 mg resulted in severe paralysis.ā€ THIS THING KILLS STUFF SO HARD THAT BEFORE YOU HEAR THE FIRSTĀ ā€œMORTAL KOMBATā€ IN THE MORTAL KOMBAT THEME, THEREā€™S PROBABLY ALREADY BEEN A FATALITY. And guess what? Ā Cone snails donā€™t do that NOOB SHIT with the superficial biting or stinging. Ā Your wetsuit or gloves wonā€™t protect you. Ā Because homeboy didnā€™t bring teeth to evolutionā€™s knife fight. Ā Oh no. Ā It brought a motherfucking radula POISON HARPOON. Ā Itā€™s lightning fast and has way more piercing power than some silly little cnidocytes or salivary bacteria. Another component of their venom is being researched for its potential as a pain reliever. Ā ā€œWHY WOULD YOU DO THAT????ā€ you might reasonably ask. Ā And you would be right to do so, because science has gone too far and has surely sinned against the very image of Mollusca Kedavra. Ā Well, it turns out the answer isĀ ā€œResearch shows that certain component proteins of the venom target specific human pain receptors and can be up to 10,000 times more potent than morphine without morphineā€™s addictive properties and side-effects.ā€ Ā Thatā€™s right, the part of their venom that SPECIFICALLY DOESNā€™T HURT YOU is up to 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Also, Conus geographus (along with one other cone snail species, C. tulipa) is the only known non-human animal to weaponize insulin. Ā In addition to the normal insulin that the snails produce for their own use, their bodies manufacture an ADDITIONAL insulin molecule that is similar to the kind produced in fish (which they eat) for the sole purpose of stunning their prey through hypoglycemic shock. Ā BECAUSE APPARENTLY THEY DONā€™T FEEL LIKE THEYā€™D KILL YOU HARD ENOUGH OTHERWISE. IF you are going to survive the ALMIGHTY CONE SNAIL, WHO KNOWS NO FEAR, TRIUMPHANT HEDGEMON OF THE MOLECULAR ARMS RACE, TRUE BORN HEIR TO THE SCYTHE OF DEATH ITSELF, FISHSLAYER, GOD AMONG MOLLUSKS, WHOSE WRATH IS MERCIFUL ONLY IN ITS BREVITY, ADMIRABLE IN ITS BEAUTY AND UNSULLIED BY THE UNWORTHY TOUCH OF MORTAL HANDS OR SCALES OR REALLY ANYTHING IN RANGE OF ITS RADULA HARPOON, then literally the only thing thatā€™s going to save you is for you to be kept alive artificially (externalizing your respiratory functions to force your body to continue breathing, basically) until the effects of the venom wear off. Ā And because of how quickly this venom acts, you need to get that medical attention VERY, VERY FAST. And if you donā€™t get it, you will still be conscious while the paralysis slowly suffocates you to death. Donā€™t touch the pretty shells. Iā€™ve never been so intrigued to learn how easily I could be fucking exterminated from existence by the overpowered sea creatures of the world. Youā€™ve done a better job at keeping my attention then any of my teachers ever have. You know what Iā€™m putting this on the writing blog cause I personally can see potential in some fantasy villain attempting to weaponise cone snailsIn which case, all hail snail king šŸŒ

i-should-be-writing-rn: inlovewithaleheather: thecuckoohaslanded: gerbthenerd: alexander-lamington: thelizardprincess: biglawbear: ...