James RickardNerve toxins, marine life, and THE BIRDS
April 5th 2009 01:20
It's not just fiction.
A nerve toxin produced by algae off the coast of California turns out to be a bigger threat than previously thought.
Movie buffs beware, this is the same neurotoxin which led to the bird attacks dramatized in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film "The Birds."
The toxin, Domoic acid, has been linked to sicknesses in marine animals and even people who eat large quantities of shellfish.
When human beings are affected, it's called amnesic shellfish poisoning which brings about nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and, in extreme cases, short-term memory loss, coordination problems, or seizures. Worse still, people poisoned in high doses with risk factors such as old age can even die.
On the animal front, marine mammal and seabird deaths off the Southern California coast have increased since March of 2007. Investigations have shown that bodies invariably contain high levels of Domoic acid.
And you thought it was just a movie!
You can read more about the report here.
Movie buffs beware, this is the same neurotoxin which led to the bird attacks dramatized in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film "The Birds."
The toxin, Domoic acid, has been linked to sicknesses in marine animals and even people who eat large quantities of shellfish.
When human beings are affected, it's called amnesic shellfish poisoning which brings about nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and, in extreme cases, short-term memory loss, coordination problems, or seizures. Worse still, people poisoned in high doses with risk factors such as old age can even die.
On the animal front, marine mammal and seabird deaths off the Southern California coast have increased since March of 2007. Investigations have shown that bodies invariably contain high levels of Domoic acid.
And you thought it was just a movie!
You can read more about the report here.
Until next time--watch your line and watch yourself!
| 56 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
