Since antiquity, cultures on nearly every continent have discovered that certain plant leaves, when chewed or brewed or rubbed on the body, could relieve diverse ailments, inspire hallucinations or, in higher dosages, even ...
Biotechnology
Sep 2, 2020
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234
Organic chemists have found a new way of synthesizing multiple complex organic molecules that until now have needed to be synthesized using time-consuming methods. The new strategy, which mimics natural biosynthesis methods, ...
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research has confirmed that mice have the biochemical pathways required to manufacture morphine from intermediates. Morphine is a powerful drug usually derived from the opium poppy, but scientists have ...
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are as bitter and toxic as they are hard to pronounce. They're produced by several different types of plants and are among the leading causes of accidental death in cattle.
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2024
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17
Pollinators such as honeybees produce special enzymes that detoxify defense chemicals produced by plants, new research shows.
Ecology
Apr 13, 2023
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64
Tropane alkaloids are a particular class of plant-derived compounds that have been exploited by mankind since the domestication of medicinal plants. The distribution of these alkaloids is scattered amongst the flowering plants ...
Biochemistry
Nov 21, 2022
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168
Thanks to a symbiotic fungus, many species of morning glories contain elements of powerful psychedelic drugs, according to a new Tulane University study published in the journal Communications Biology.
Plants & Animals
Dec 22, 2021
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577
Researchers in Brazil have prepared modified forms of the alkaloids produced by Uncaria guianensis, a woody vine native to the Amazon Rainforest.
Biochemistry
Nov 1, 2019
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46
How can you make medicines in space?
Biochemistry
Dec 12, 2018
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64
Do you know what caused soldiers to stop wearing chainmail and steel plate armor? Evolution.
Evolution
Feb 26, 2018
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224
Alkaloids are naturally occurring chemical compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms. The name derives from the word alkaline and was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base. Alkaloids are produced by a large variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals and are part of the group of natural products (also called secondary metabolites). Many alkaloids can be purified from crude extracts by acid-base extraction. Many alkaloids are toxic to other organisms. They often have pharmacological effects and are used as medications, as recreational drugs, or in entheogenic rituals. Examples are the local anesthetic and stimulant cocaine, the stimulant caffeine, nicotine, the analgesic morphine, or the antimalarial drug quinine. Some alkaloids have a bitter taste.
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