Venomous: How Earth's Deadliest Creatures Mastered Biochemistry

As someone who enjoys wildlife and medicine, this was a great way to blend the best of both worlds! Can't wait to see what is to come!

This is a very interesting book of the biochemistry of venomous creatures, beautiful pictures and detailed explanations. Amazing how Mother Nature has developed such power self defense mechanisms for these creatures!

The fascinating subject and the author's writing style kept my attention from beginning to end. There was a good balance of anecdotal moments and explaining the science behind each topic. I can see how someone with no scientific background at all might have a hard time following the more nitty-gritty details of the mechanisms on a molecular level. As someone in the medical field and who's studied biochemistry in college, I could follow it fine and enjoyed the scientific insights. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer! (Which isn't really a complaint.) This book offers a tantalizing glimpse into the world of toxinology and some of the deadliest animals out there. I want to delve more into the articles this book drew from as resources.

This was a totally fun read from cover to cover. A companion book in many ways to Justin Schmidt's "Sting of the Wild" which shares the same engrossing quality. Where Schmidt deals only with the insecta, Wilcox takes in a wide variety of animal life from platypus to jellyfish. Both authors get stung in the line of duty and both authors show the amazing benefits to medical science of studying venoms and toxins. Very fun reading!

Nice writing style, lots of interesting information on a topic that not much is written about. If you like lay science and nonfiction writing, and long for more information on a variety of subjects then you will like this book. It would have been nice if the author had delved into more detail on some very interesting venomous creatures such as the funnel web spider and the various necrotic spiders such as the relatives of the brown recluse (hobo spider etc). I also liked The Sting of the Wild by Schmidt and these books complement each other on Venom science and natural history.

Well written and informative. Living in Arizona, where there are any number of venomous creatures, this gives a nice perspective.

Evolution is a threat if you make a mistake with these creatures but also could be one of our best pathways to new drugs and treatments for pain, according to Christie Wilcox PhD. She describes in great detail the evolution of venomous creatures and the pharmacology of their venom. I did not know that the blue ringed octopus uses a symbiotic bacteria for venom production. Venom has many components and can also trigger an allergic reaction as well. Fascinating book and easy to read for all of us.

This is an excellent book by a great science communicator - and one that I found hard to put down. It's a well-balanced narrative that combines personal anecdotes, biographical interludes focused on some true characters, and a strong core of solid science. Venomous creatures - and their number is huge - both enthrall & terrify us, and that fear leads to attempts to destroy them. Wilcox argues convincingly that we should instead respect and protect these creatures - if not for their own intrinsic & ecological value, then because they have the very real potential to save our lives.very strongly recommended.

com grandes informações bioquímicas , principalmente, porém, papel ruim.

Very well written.

面白いです。あまり普段関心無いというか、積極的に読みたくなるようなテーマ出ないのですが、読み出すと「毒」を持つ生物からの視点での話は新鮮に感じます。

I plan on reading this book again; it is packed with interesting details about creatures which have produced horror and reverence. Unknown to me and probably most people the venom from these creatures is saving lives and given the massive research going on they will save more !

Have not finished the book yet but it a very interesting read. It weaves an interesting tale able venoms and the animals that deploy them. The writing is clear and the information is very well presented.