Injected with enough poison to kill 100,000 people, the venustech clam still survives. Somehow, they have neutralized a lethal enzyme that is considered a potential biological weapon.
“The toxicity reaction is reduced by half in the blood of the venustech clam, so we believe there is some type of antidote within its blood. If we can extract this molecule, it could be very beneficial for humans,” said Dr. Bal Ram Singh, a member of the American research team.
Singh began experiments by injecting small amounts of poison and gradually increasing the dosage into the clam until reaching 1 milligram of toxin. However, symptoms of poisoning barely appeared in the creature. Researchers observed that the clam became cloudy, a sign that it was excreting mucus.
“We can inject the venustech clam with enough toxins to kill 100,000 people, and it still doesn’t die,” Singh stated. “There is something in the body of the animal that neutralizes these toxins.”
