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FALSE LOGIC. "Proteins contain no genetic material. They're composed of amino acids, synthesized from the blueprint provided by a cell's genes. Proteins are made because the cell needs them to perform a particular job, such as providing structural support or activating a cellular function. Proteins can't create new copies of themselves. Therefore, according to the "rules," they cannot cause an infection." http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20040216/killer.shtml View in LinkedIn

FORMIC acid is "water soluble, a drawback that prevents it from penetrating readily through the lipid-coated skeletal cuticle of insects. Formicine ants apparently solve this problem by by biting at the same time they spray...and direct the fluid into the site bitten." https://lnkd.in/eUMcYHa View in LinkedIn

INSECT VENOMS are usually multi-component. "As unpleasant as the venom of the fire ants is, they meet their match in another species of ant, the ‘tawny crazy ant’. These two warring species of ants both make use of their venoms in conflict, but the tawny crazy ant uses chemistry to gain a clear advantage. They combat the toxicity of fire ant venom by detoxifying it with their own, which is based on formic acid." http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/08/28/insectvenoms/ View in LinkedIn

FORMIC ACID DISINFECTANT. "Some of the ants would spray the poisonous cocktail directly onto the larvae, but most of them took an indirect route. They ‘licked’ their acidopore and sucked up their own poison into their mouths. They then cleaned their brood, and slathered the acidic poison over them in the process." Also used by bee-keepers, and for silage. https://lnkd.in/e7ptgTD View in LinkedIn

ANTS SPRAY formic acid in coordinated manner against predators to great heights, being showered in the acid, over their eyes and in their breathing systems. Veritable chemical warfare. https://lnkd.in/e6BnhPq View in LinkedIn

TOXINS NEUTRALIZE TOXINS. "Nine formicine species, representing all major clades, used a stereotyped grooming behavior to self-apply formic acid...in response to fire ant...venom exposure. In laboratory assays, this behavior increased the survivorship of species following exposure to S. invicta venom. This pattern, combined with the specific chemistry of the reaction of formic acid with venom alkaloids, indicates that alkaloid venoms are targets of detoxification grooming." https://lnkd.in/eC4YnVu View in LinkedIn

HANDLING CAUSTIC LIQUIDS. "Although this pathway has been established in various organism, the uniqueness of the poison gland system is that it accumulates formic acid to large extent, yet avoids its cytotoxicity. This is made possible by a combination of the biochemical characteristics of the pathway and the special morphological features of the poison gland." All enzymes reactions at ambient temperatures. https://lnkd.in/eiAXv4p View in LinkedIn

CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF FORMIC ACID in a lab requires oxalic acid, glycerine and 100'C for 12-15 hours, then needing to be distilled twice. Alternatively, extract it from ants themselves. Notably, when a water is added to a strong acid, it can be quite violently explosive. How does an insect achieve the synthesis of a very concentrated and powerful acid? https://lnkd.in/egGiPtk View in LinkedIn

FRAGMENT FROM NATURE continues from last weekend with insect formic acid. This highly caustic substance is central to the lives in of formicine ants and some other insects. Their bodies manufacture it, they bathe in it, breath it, use it on their babies, mysteriously without harmful effects. And because of their sheer numbers, they contribute significantly to atmospheric formic acid in the tropics. View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS our journey into the world of prions, the rule-breaking counter-intuitive beasties that go to prove that we have far from figured out some basics of molecular biology, and that we should probably abandon quaint views about what is life and non-life in favor for a very broad spectrum that includes the very improbable, like prions. View in LinkedIn