The region where the crescentic masses of the ectoderm and endoderm come into direct contact with each other constitutes a thin membrane, the buccopharyngeal membrane (or oropharyngeal membrane), which forms a septum between the primitive mouth and pharynx.
In front of the buccopharyngeal area, where the lateral crescents of mesoderm fuse in the middle line, the pericardium is afterward developed, and this region is therefore desi
Rete pegs (aka rete processes or rete ridges or papillae) are epithelial extensions that project into the underlying connective tissue in both skin and mucous membranes.
In the epithelium of the mouth, the attached gingiva exhibit rete pegs, while the sulcular and junctional epithelia do not. Scar tissue lacks ret
Thermolysin is used in the industrial synthesis of aspartame. It catalyzes the formation of the peptide bond between aspartic acid and phenylalanine methyl ester, resulting in aspartame.
Both thermolysin and snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) share a similar mechanism of action, utilizing zinc ions to hydrolyze peptide bonds in proteins
Gomis-Rüth FX, Kress LF, Kellermann J, Mayr I, Lee X, Huber R, Bode W. Refined 2.0 A X-ray crystal structure of the snake venom zinc-endopeptidase adamalysin II. Primary and tertiary structure determination, refinement, molecular structure and comparison with astacin, collagenase and thermolysin. J Mol Biol. 1994 Jun 17;239(4):513-44. doi: 10.1006/jmbi.1994.1392. PMID: 8006965.
Adamalysin II, alias proteinase II, a 24 kDa zinc-endopeptidase isolated from the snake venom of the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus adamanteus, is a prototype, of the pr
Three-finger proteins and three-finger toxins
Three-finger proteins or three-finger protein domains (3FP or TFPD) are a protein superfamily consisting of small, roughly 60-80 amino acid
Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a large multimeric glycoprotein present in blood plasma and produced constitutively as ultra-large VWF in endothelium (in the Weibel–Palade bodies), megakaryocytes (α-granules of platelets), and subendothelial connective tissue
Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a blood glycoprotein that promotes hemostasis, specifically, platelet adhesion. It is deficient and/or defective i
Kodoku aka kodo, venom-based poison in Japanese folklore
Kodoku (蠱毒, ‘curse poison’), also called kodō (蠱道, ‘curse method’), kojutsu (蠱術, ‘curse technique’), and&n
Gu, venom-based poison
Gu (Chinese: 蛊) or jincan (Chinese: 金蠶) was a venom-based poison associated with cultures of south China, particularly Nanyue. The traditional preparation of gu p
Ceres, Roman goddess
In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the ce
Sanxingdui (‘Three Star Mound’)
Sanxingdui (Chinese: 三星堆; pinyin: Sānxīngduī; lit. ‘Three Star Mound‘) is an archaeological site and a major
Moulting was known as mewing in medieval times
In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an anim
Paracetamol is lethal to snakes
Paracetamol is lethal to snakes, and has been suggested as a chemical control program for the invasive brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) in Guam. Doses of 80 mg are inserted
Black snake (firework)
“Black snake” is a term that can refer to two similar types of fireworks: the Pharaoh’s snake and the sugar snake. The “Pharaoh’s snake̶
Carbon snake
Carbon snake is a demonstration of the dehydration reaction of sugar by concentrated sulfuric acid. With concentrated sulfuric acid, granulated table sugar (sucrose) performs
Tongue stone
According to Renaissance accounts, large, triangular fossil teeth often found embedded in rocky formations were believed to be petrified tongues of dragons and snakes and so
Adder stone aka hag stone
An adder stone is a type of stone, usually glassy, with a naturally occurring hole through it. Such stones, which usually consist of flint, have been discovered by archaeologis