What Scares You?
Belladonna. In Italian it translates to “beautiful lady.” But even in Italy, belladonna is more than a beautiful word or description. It is dangerous; deadly. In fact, most people probably know it as deadly nightshade. A plant so toxic, it is known as the plant most used throughout history for stealth assassination.
Continue reading “Deadly Plants: Deadly Nightshade”
Have you ever had an itchy eye? Has your eye ever been red and burning, or have you ever had swelling and discharge from it? These are common symptoms of conjunctivitis. It can be the result of allergies, irritants, bacteria, or viruses. In many cases, the issue will go away on its own, either by flushing the eye, or even taking antihistamines. Sometimes a doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. But what would you do if you suddenly saw something pass through your vision? Checking in the mirror you see it’s a worm? Congratulations, you have just met loa loa, the eye worm.
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Today when we think of medicine, we think of drug stores, pharmacies. Medicine comes in many forms, from cough syrup to painkillers and more. We don’t generally think about where it came from, how it was discovered, who first thought of it. I’d venture to guess that many people don’t know that penicillin was discovered by mistake, and began as a form of mold. If we go back even further, there are stories of people using mummies, grinding up their bodies for medicinal purposes. In South Africa, some forms of medicine, called muti, have utilized rituals consisting of dancing, chanting, playing drums, and sacrifice. These sacrifices over time, have come to be known as muti killings.
When we think of plants, we generally think of gardens, flowers, vegetables, and herbs. There are plants we keep in our home, in our garden, or visit when out in nature. Some plants are pretty and smell nice, some provide shade, some are even used for medicinal purposes. Then there are those we rarely think of. Poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, all of which tell us in their name to stay away. There are others though, that can be far more deceiving. The Gympie-Gympie plant is an excellent example. Based on its name alone, one would think it’s something small, cute, harmless. In reality, the gympie-gympie plant is one of the most dangerous plants you can come into contact with.
Vacation is a wonderful time to kick back, relax, and enjoy some much needed time away from the day to day hustle and bustle. Sometimes we vacation locally, spending time at home, or at local parks and amusement parks. Sometimes vacations take you away, to another state or country to experience something entirely different from what you’re used to. One woman got more than she bargained for after her vacation to Peru.
In 1971, a group of Soviet geologists went to the Karakum Desert, in central Turkmenistan, in search of oil fields. They found, what they believed to be a substantial oil field and began to drill. The ground was unsteady, and before they could get their equipment to safety, the the site collapsed. Their equipment was gone.
Continue reading “The Fiery Darvaza Gas Crater”
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