Dispensary Corner 08 Apr 13
April 8, 2013
Poisons information services
should be prepared for a flurry of
calls if these creatures ever make
it into Australia.
A disturbing new species of
tarantula has been discovered
in Sri Lanka, with the massive
arachnid about the size of a
human face.
Poecilotheria rajaei has a 20cm
leg span and is reportedly covered
in a range of colours including
pink, yellow and grey.
It was discovered by the aptly
named British Tarantula Society,
with a spokesman saying “It can
be quite attractive, unless spiders
freak you out”.
Although its venom is not
poisonous, those who encounter
it are likely to need some sort of
anti-anxiety medications.
Breathal ysers may discover
a lot more than intoxication in
the future, according to a report
in the journal PLOS ONE which
suggests that compounds present
in exhaled breath can act as a
unique “fingerprint”.
According to the study,
breathing out expels metabolites
which give a range of clues as to
what is going on inside the body.
The scientists behind the report
said that eventually breath tests
could provide accurate diagnosis
of use of other drugs or even
medical conditions such as cancer.
The findings give credence to
stories about animals which are
able to detect the presence of
cancer or lung infections.
Currently the testing is very
expensive, with the researchers
utilising a mass spectrometer to
generate a unique “breath print”
from 11 volunteers.
It confirmed findings from an
earlier study in which one of the
subjects had a “peak” from the
spectrometer which turned out
to be connected to an epilepsy
medication he was taking.
In the future the scientists hope
for breakthroughs which would
make this testing commonplace.
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