A toxin called ricin just turned up in a Las Vegas motel, according to preliminary tests. It’s probably not terrorism-related, the Associated Press reports, but it’s plenty scary anyway. Seven people were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
When it’s injected, ricin is “one of the most toxic substances known
The poison interferes with RNA and blocks the body’s ability to make protein. “If you can’t synthesize protein, you’re dead,
there’s no antidote. “Once you’ve got it in the cell, we don’t know how to get it out
Ricin is made from castor beans (Latin name, Ricinus communis), which were found in the room along with a powdery substance believed to be ricin, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. “They’re quite pretty seeds as a matter of fact,” Norton says of the beans (pictured)
A form of ricin is used in an experimental drug designed to target cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. An early-stage study is described here.
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