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Tetrodotoxin

Famously deadly poison

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Tetrodotoxin is an infamous poison, featuring in James Bond films and The Simpsons. It is roughly 1000 times more toxic than potassium cyanide. Many organisms use tetrodotoxin as a poison; most famously the pufferfish.

The pufferfish is responsible for the fatal poisoning of up to 100 people in Japan each year. Its flesh is a sought-after Japanese delicacy known as fugu. In order to be allowed to prepare it, chefs have to undergo several years of training. The most highly toxic organs, including the liver, must be carefully removed before it is safe to consume small portions of the remaining fish.

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Breakthroughs in green chemistry: Magnetic detergents and supercritical CO2

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