DARWIN AWARDS EDITORS RESEARCHING THIS SUBMISSION.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2011/06/21/a-beautiful-web-of-poison-extends-a-new-strand/#.VBccRIJRHOd

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http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/a-toxic-menagerie/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

QUOTE

One theory is that the more complicated you make your cocktail of venoms, greater probability that the attack will succeed. And we know that many of these venoms are designed for defense and increased in response to threat.

For instance, the rough-skinned newt, which lives in Oregon, has high levels of tetrodotoxin, a powerful neurotoxic compound, in its skin. It turns out that the newts are preyed on by garter snakes that have responded by evolving resistance to the original amounts of poison.

The newts have responded again by increasing the levels of the toxin in their skin. We might think of it as over the top, but there's usually a very good reason.

Q. Are these newts dangerous to people?

A. I tell a story in the book of a young Oregon man who went out drinking with his friends and after a number of rounds, they dared him to swallow his pet newt. He did, and he died of cardiac arrest. And that tells us that there's enough tetrodotoxin in a single rough skinned newt to kill a grown man. Wendy says, "Added to the Archive."

A young Oregon man went out drinking with his friends, and after a number of rounds, they dared him to swallow his pet newt. He did, and he died of cardiac arrest.

It was a rough-skinned newt, which has high levels of tetrodotoxin, the same neurotoxic compound found in pufferfish, in its skin.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/a-toxic-menagerie/

Submitted on 08/07/2014

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/a-toxic-menagerie/

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Candi said:
Definitely Toss: Lacks Excellence
Sorry, but this doesn't say Darwin to me. The other moderators may differ. Thanks anyway, and submit again.

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I have to disagree with Candi on this. I looked up images of a rough skinned newt and can't believe anybody would consider swallowing a live one, drunk or not, especially if it was a pet.

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Same venom as a pufferfish, eh??? And it was a PET??? I will vote to keep!

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