bjmagnani
March Madness: Maybe it’s the Hat
“Twinkle, twinkle, little bat, how I wonder what you’re at.” So starts the Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland...
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bjmagnani
- Feb 10
- 2 min
Love Potions: Spanish Fly or Poisonous Beetle?
Are you sitting dreamily with a vision of a potential lover in your life? Ignite the romance with flowers, chocolate, poetry, or perhaps,...
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bjmagnani
- Jan 25
- 2 min
The Surprising Relationship Between Wintergreen and Aspirin
I remember riding my horse on trails through the New York woods as a child and stopping to break off a twig of the black birch tree,...
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bjmagnani
- Dec 5, 2022
- 3 min
Oh No! Kitty and Fido Just Ate That Food!
Kitty’s licking her paws after walking in nutmeg sprinkled on the kitchen counter, and Fido just gobbled the dark chocolate that dropped...
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bjmagnani
- Nov 24, 2022
- 2 min
What’s That in Your Pumpkin Pie?
Isn’t it the dose that makes the poison? Paracelsus, the Swiss physician, born in the late 1400s, is credited with saying, “What is there...
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bjmagnani
- Oct 25, 2022
- 2 min
A Witches Brew
“Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.” The Three Witches brewed prophesy for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but what...
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bjmagnani
- Sep 22, 2022
- 2 min
Every Number is a Life
91,799. This is the number of people who died in 2020 from a drug overdose. And more than 932,000 people have died since 1999. About 75%...
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bjmagnani
- Aug 30, 2022
- 2 min
The Death Cap
One side will make you grow taller, and the other side… Well, actually, no. Either side will kill you. But nonetheless, the mushroom...
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bjmagnani
- Jul 27, 2022
- 3 min
‘The Hundred Pacer’—A Walk on the Wild Side
It’s believed that after the victim is bitten, he or she will be able to walk only a hundred paces before perishing. In regions where the...
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bjmagnani
- Jun 27, 2022
- 2 min
The Assassin's Hand
The Box Jellyfish or Sea Wasp (Chironex fleckeri) is perhaps the world’s most venomous creature. The name is derived from Chiron—the...
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bjmagnani
- May 23, 2022
- 2 min
Magic and Misery—Poppies Will Make You Sleep
Many drugs and medicines obtained from nature are medical miracles. The number of plant species on the planet is around 400,000, but only...
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bjmagnani
- Apr 21, 2022
- 2 min
In the Shape of a Question Mark
Hidden in the darkest crevices lurks a creature capable of delivering a lethal sting—the scorpion. All scorpions are venomous, but only...
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bjmagnani
- Mar 15, 2022
- 2 min
You Are What You Eat
Poisons in nature are part of the natural defense of an organism, whether it is a plant or an animal---these toxins act as protection...
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bjmagnani
- Feb 7, 2022
- 3 min
Now for Something Different: Take Flight on Your Bike on Plum Island, Massachusetts
Strangling vines, poisonous plants, and soaring birds inhabit the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. And the best way to see it...
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bjmagnani
- Jan 18, 2022
- 2 min
Socrates and the Original Lethal Cocktail
During the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC), the lethal characteristics of the plant poison hemlock were well known and used as a means of...
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bjmagnani
- Dec 14, 2021
- 1 min
Sugar Icing Spleen? Food for Thought
Why do pathologists see food in their work? Terms like sugar icing spleen (a thickened and whitish splenic capsule), nutmeg liver...
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bjmagnani
- Nov 29, 2021
- 2 min
A Kiss is Just a Kiss
Like miniature snow globes, small white berries hang in the balance. Mistletoe, evergreen trees, and poinsettias abound as decorations...
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bjmagnani
- Nov 18, 2021
- 1 min
Quiet Death, Cherry Red
A silent killer lurks within the house. During the winter months, frequent storms cause downed power lines while high snows present...
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bjmagnani
- Nov 5, 2021
- 1 min
Crystal Death? Possibly.
Now that we’re spending more time indoors as the weather grows cold, our houseplants become a focus of our attention. One of my favorites...
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bjmagnani
- Oct 29, 2021
- 2 min
What was in the Apple the Evil Queen gave to Snow White?
Did you ever wonder what poison the Evil Queen added to the apple she gave to Snow White? “When she breaks the tender peel, to taste the...
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