5 Poisons That Are Even More Toxic Than Their Ratings Suggest
With the announcement of an inquiry into the murder of Alexander
Litvinenko, talk of poisons is back in the news. There are many
articles with lists of the most poisonous substances, which are
often gathered based on their acute toxicity as measured by
something called LD50. But acute toxicity is only one factor
that needs to be considered, and relying solely on LD50 or
similar measures is overly simplistic.  Centipede Claws Its Way
Out of the Snake That Ate It  A group of researchers stumbled
upon a grisly scene during a field study in Macedonia last year:
a dead nose-horned viper with a centipede's head sticking out of
its ruptured abdomen. After a post-mortem, the scientists think
it's possible that the centipede quite literally eviscerated the
snake from the inside out.  Florida's Burmese Pythons Are Eerily
Good With Directions  Most snakes don't boast strong internal
navigation systems, but Burmese pythons have evolved unusually
accurate inte