It’s got nothing to do with insulin or glucose levels, though. It blocks either sodium or potassium channels, can’t remember off the dome. Temporarily ruins the electrical conductivity of nerves.
Cone snails flood the water around them with weaponized insulin causing hypoglycemic shock, which i called a diabetic coma for comedic effect. So im pretty sure youre wrong here bud.
Hey so first off cool background, we can always use a better understanding of toxins.
Second off there are iirc over a thousand types of cone snails and a lot of them hunt very differently. The one i was referencing floods the waters around it with insulin (or an insulin like substance, im no biochemist) that paralyzes the fish its hunting so it can go in for the kill. As far as im reading you are referencing the snails that hunt in a rather more straightforward manner, using their terrifying harpoon. That would make sense as a matter of study, as im sure many a wayward footstep was met with a 'pooning.
deranger@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
It’s got nothing to do with insulin or glucose levels, though. It blocks either sodium or potassium channels, can’t remember off the dome. Temporarily ruins the electrical conductivity of nerves.
Redacted@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Cone snails flood the water around them with weaponized insulin causing hypoglycemic shock, which i called a diabetic coma for comedic effect. So im pretty sure youre wrong here bud.
But dont argue with me, argue with yeung et al.
www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-50470-2
deranger@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
I’m a biochemist and my university studied conotoxins for use as analgesics. They’re ion channel blockers.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conotoxin
Redacted@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Hey so first off cool background, we can always use a better understanding of toxins.
Second off there are iirc over a thousand types of cone snails and a lot of them hunt very differently. The one i was referencing floods the waters around it with insulin (or an insulin like substance, im no biochemist) that paralyzes the fish its hunting so it can go in for the kill. As far as im reading you are referencing the snails that hunt in a rather more straightforward manner, using their terrifying harpoon. That would make sense as a matter of study, as im sure many a wayward footstep was met with a 'pooning.
They are fascinating little fellas.