Toxic blast.Predators beware! This sea slug sea slug, name for a marine gastropod mollusk that lacks a shell as an adult and is usually brightly colored. Sea slugs, or nudibranchs, are distributed throughout the world, with the greatest numbers and the largest kinds found in tropical waters. squirts out a purple cloud of toxic chemicals Any chemical which, through its chemical action on life processes, can cause death, temporary incapacitation, or permanent harm to humans or animals. This includes all such chemicals, regardless of their origin or of their method of production, and regardless of whether they are produced as self-defense. How does Aplysia californica (ap-LEE-zha cal-ih-FOR-ni-ka) store this nasty brew without harming itself? Charles Derby, a biologist at Georgia State University History Georgia State University was founded in 1913 as the Georgia School of Technology's "School of Commerce." The school focused on what was called "the new science of business. , found that the slug holds different toxin-making molecules, or two or more atoms joined together, in separate body compartments. These molecules are harmless until they are mixed together. When threatened, the slug shoots the molecules into another compartment. There, an enzyme starts a chemical reaction, producing harmful substances such as ammonia ammonia, chemical compound, NH3, colorless gas that is about one half as dense as air at ordinary temperatures and pressures. It has a characteristic pungent, penetrating odor. . When a slug spurts out the nasty mix, most predators back away. To learn more about the study on the sea slug, read the press release at this Web site: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005.12/gsu.ssm121605.php Visit this Web site from the Australian Museum This article is about the museum in Sydney. For the museum in Canberra opened in 2001, see National Museum of Australia. The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. to learn more about the defense mechanism of the sea slug: www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=seahatac |
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