Comments on: Venomous: How the Earth’s Deadliest Creatures Mastered Biochemistry

By: Top Science Books: 2016 – Greg Laden's Blog

Top Science Books: 2016 – Greg Laden's Blog — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 23:05:28 +0000

[…] Read my full review here […]

By: Your Science Based Holiday Gift Guide! (For adults) – Greg Laden's Blog

Your Science Based Holiday Gift Guide! (For adults) – Greg Laden's Blog — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 15:24:38 +0000

[…] Venomous: How the Earth’s Deadliest Creatures Mastered Biochemistry, by Christie Wilcox is just plain fun. And, disturbing at many levels. A great read. You won’t be able to put it down, but if you do put it down, check for scorpions first! […]

By: Julian White

Julian White — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 02:35:33 +0000

I started to listen to your podcast about this book, only to hear the author declare that there are numerous venomous mammals and then that any haemophagus animal is, by definition, venomous. In my opinion the majority, probably overwhelming majority of scientists working in the field of toxinology would disagree with this new, all-encompassing definition of venom/venomousness. It is my understanding that this new approach to venom/venomousness is promoted by a scientist currently based in Australia, but prominent on the internet, as “venomdoc”. This person has promoted the hypothesis that all venomous snakes have a single origin that also encompasses a number of lizard families that, according to this hypothesis, are also venomous; the “toxicofera” hypothesis. Because it is controversial, but topical, the International Society on Toxinology, arguably the premier organisation of toxinologists world-wide, decided to have a debate on this hypothesis at its last World Congress at Oxford University, UK, in 2015. The result of this debate, where both sides were able to present facts and argument in support of, or in refutation of, a central plank of the toxicofera hypothesis, was an overwhelming rejection of the hypothesis. I was in the audience at this debate. There is a growing body of published research which refutes the interpretation of the data, and in some cases the data itself, used to promote the toxicofera hypothesis. It is therefore very disappointing to see an international science blog promoting an author and a book which, it would seem, has ignored that decision by the part of the scientific community most qualified to make such a decision, in addition to promoting definitions of venomousness that would similarly be rejected by this same global community of experts. The author should, in my opinion, have read widely about such areas of controversy and at the very least pointed out to readers that there was disagreement about what constitutes venomousness, providing definitions from both sides, rather than presenting a single and contested view as apparent accepted fact, which it is clearly not. Science thrives on new ideas, but those ideas must be tested, retested and where there is ambiguity about results or their interpretation, that should be recognised and acknowledged in the interest of honesty, accuracy, and good scientific method. Promotion of speculative and controversial science, without the above caveat, diminishes all science. Toxinology encompasses many fascinating organisms and evolutionary developments that can certainly be made interesting and correct information provided, including divergent views on some topics, which illustrates that our knowledge is incomplete and ever developing as our understanding evolves.

By: The World's Most Poisonous Creatures Could Get You High and Save Your Life | Albspace

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 04:54:21 +0000

[…] the study of venom and anti-venom that was previously not available to the public?When Greg Laden reviewed the book for ScienceBlogs, he gave it what I consider to be the highest praise possible: He said that he learned something […]

By: The World's Most Poisonous Creatures Could Get You High and Save Your Life | VICE | Canada

Sun, 31 Jul 2016 18:03:19 +0000

By: T minus 3 weeks until Venomous, my first book, is out! – BlogON.cf

T minus 3 weeks until Venomous, my first book, is out! – BlogON.cf — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 13:57:54 +0000

[…] been very encouraging. Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus both gave the book positive reviews, and Greg Laden from ScienceBlogs gave it a glowing review, calling it “one of the better science books I’ve read in some time,” […]

By: T minus 3 weeks until Venomous, my first book, is out! - Science Sushi

T minus 3 weeks until Venomous, my first book, is out! - Science Sushi — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 13:00:42 +0000

[…] very encouraging. Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus both gave the book positive reviews, and Greg Laden from ScienceBlogs gave it a glowing review, calling it “one of the better science books I’ve read in some […]

By: Dan Andrews

Dan Andrews — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 15:28:43 +0000

Okay then. Another book for my wish list. I really hope authors don’t mind if I borrow the book from the library rather than buying it.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 00:59:38 +0000

Check out the podcast! We talk about antivenom and many other things.

By: Desertphile

Desertphile — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 00:53:15 +0000

Way cool! And thank you. I have added the book to my “wish list,” since it costs a day’s wages and I am more likely to die before I can afford a copy.

One of my friends (Doug P.) explored what appears to be La Ciudad Blanca in Honduras with Steve Elkins and one of the people with him battled a Fer-de-lance in the vain hope the cameras were running. The crew had a US$5,000 dose of anti-venom, which fortunately was not needed because the human won the fight. Many of the humans contracted leishmaniasis which sounds worse than death.