By Nick Baum
WEDNESDAY – 5/1/19
Researches at the University of Sydney say that they have discovered a potential antidote to the most venomous sea creature, the box jellyfish. The researches found it through editing genes with a technology called CRISPR, which allowed them to see the chemicals and factors that make up a box jellyfish sting, and what can be done to cure one.
Box jellyfish are known as one of the deadliest sea creatures, if not animals on the planet. The creature can grow to almost 10 feet tall and carries about 60 tentacles, each tentacle with millions of microscopic hooks that distribute the venom. Research has found that a box jellyfish carries enough venom to kill 60 humans.
Through the university’s research, they found that most of the pain that comes with the creature’s sting is because of our cholesterol. As a result, an antidote that eliminates the cholesterol was developed by the university’s research team. They theorize that if the body’s cholesterol is temporarily gone, or at least lowered to a certain degree, the sting won’t get to the cells beneath the skin.
Sources and Pictures: World Atlas, CNN, Animals of Oceania
