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Articles on Toxin

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Poisonous or edible? Ekaterina Morozova/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Why are some mushrooms poisonous?

Poison can be a deadly defense that helps a mushroom make sure its spores are spread to new places to grow into baby mushrooms.
A night of revelry can mean an uncomfortable day after. Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com

Hangovers happen as your body tries to protect itself from alcohol’s toxic effects

Researchers know the basic biology of what happens to your system after a night of heavy drinking. Unfortunately, evidence-based cures for the common hangover are still at the investigation stage.
Two house painters in hazmat suits remove lead paint from an old house. Jamie Hooper/Shutterstock.com

Why lead is dangerous, and the damage it does

The Flint water crisis made the country aware of the dangers of lead. But why, exactly, is this element so toxic and what does it do to the body?
The national flower of Zimbabwe, the Glory Lily, is also found in Queensland where it’s more famously known as a noxious weed that’s highly poisonous to humans. JohnSkewes/Flickr

Little shop of horrors: the Australian plants that can kill you

It’s not just Australia’s animals that can be deadly, there are plenty of dangerous plants too.
Stephens’ banded snake is one of Australia’s few arboreal (tree-dwelling) venomous snakes. Timothy Jackson

Why I Love: surrounding myself with venomous critters

Most people avoid venomous creatures, but they can also teach us a lot about chemical reactions that take place outside of the body - or exochemistry.

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