Christie Wilcox: "Venomous: How Earth's Deadliest Creatures Mastered Biochemistry" | Talks at Google

A thrilling tale of encounters with nature’s masters of biochemistry. Get the bool here: .
In Venomous, the molecular biologist Christie Wilcox investigates venoms and the animals that use them, revealing how they work, what they do to the human body, and how they can revolutionize biochemistry and medicine today.
Wilcox takes us from the coast of Indonesia to the rainforests of Peru in search of the secrets of these mysterious animals. We encounter jellyfish that release microscopic venom-packed darts known to kill humans in just two minutes, a two-inch caterpillar with toxic bristles that trigger hemorrhaging throughout the body, and a stunning blue-ringed octopus with saliva capable of inducing total paralysis. How could an animal as simple as a jellyfish evolve such an intricate, deadly poison? And how can a snake possess enzymes that tear through tissue yet leave its own body unscathed? Wilcox meets the fearless scientists who often risk their lives studying these lethal beasts to find out, and puts her own life on the line to examine these species up close. Drawing on her own research on venom chemistry and evolution, she also shows how venom is helping us untangle the complex mechanisms of some of our most devastating diseases.
Venomous reveals that the animals we fear the most actually hold the keys to a deeper understanding of evolution, adaptation, and immunity. Thrilling and surprising at every turn, Venomous will change the way you think about our natural world.
Review
"Christie Wilcox is the perfect guide to the wild and weird world of venomous creatures―a scientist who knows how to tell a vivid story, a story-teller who understands the elegant science of poisons. As a result Venomous succeeds both as an insightful study of the natural world and, equally important, as a fascinating read." ―Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz-Age New York
"Even at its most sinister, nature can't help but be fascinating, and in Venomous, Christie Wilcox has created a fitting tribute to one of nature’s most sinister creations of all. She not only provides a tour of the venomous world’s most frightening specimens, but she also dives into the astonishing biology underlying their deadly success." ―Carl Zimmer, author of Parasite Rex
"Having just been stung by a scorpion while camping in the Mexican desert, I have a renewed interest in venomous creatures. But you don’t need to have been stung or bitten to be utterly captivated by this important and original book. Christie Wilcox has a natural gift for storytelling and she gracefully mixes anecdotes and humor with science and spellbindingly gory details about some of the most feared animals on the planet." ―Mark Carwardine, zoologist
"Reader be warned: Venomous sinks its fangs into you and won’t let go. Christie Wilcox is as remarkable as the hemorrhage-inducing caterpillars and mind-controlling wasps in the pages of her book: a molecular biologist who can write. I’m recommending Venomous to every friend who wonders what venom scientists are so excited about and to every student who asks, 'What is left in nature, for me to discover?'" ―Leslie Boyer, M.D., Director of the VIPER Institute at the University of Arizona
About the Author
Christie Wilcox, PhD, is a scientist and science writer based at the University of Hawaii. Her writing has appeared in Discover, The New York Times, Scientific American, Slate, and Popular Science.