13 Animal Substances You Wont Believe Are Useful To Humans
From snake venom that provides incredible medical uses to hagfish slime that can be used to make a super material one day!\r
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8. Beeswax\r
Humans use the wax that honey bees naturally produce to make honeycombs in a variety of ways. It is a common ingredient found in chewing gum, is used as a coating for cheese, and increasingly in skincare and cosmetics. You can put beeswax on cast iron pieces to prevent them from rusting, and the wax is an excellent lubricant for old furniture or to restore smooth movement in drawers and windows. \r
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7. Cuttlefish Ink\r
The ink from this sea creature has a variety of uses. While its not used as a writing tool as much as it used to be, it has been found to help in several other areas of human life. Also known as sepia, its an effective homeopathic remedy for women going through menopause and is thought to help with depression. The cuttlefish use it as a defense mechanism as it disorients would be predators by affecting their sense of taste and smell. The fish also use their ink to hide their eggs from predators until the eggs hatch. \r
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6. Tarantula Venom\r
Muscular Dystrophy is a devastatingly debilitating disease that has no known cure. However, researchers are working on a drug derived from a chemical found in tarantula venom that may slow the progress of the disease. That same venom has been used to light up nerve cells, which help scientists to understand how those cells work and could lead to breakthroughs related to conditions like epilepsy. Experts are also working with spider venoms to create painkillers with fewer side effects.\r
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5. Cochineal Carcasses\r
The vast majority of red food dye is made of these crushed up insects. Manufurers dry the cochineals and grind them into a powder, which turns bright red when mixed with water. Starbucks announced that they would stop using the product in their drinks after vegetarian and animal conscious customers protested the use of the bug born dye in new. The popular coffee chain instead went with a vegetable extr to color their delicious, overpriced beverages. \r
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4. Hagfish Slime\r
Hagfish dont seem like fascinating creatures at first glance. They are nearly blind eel-like creatures that hang around the bottom of the ocean scavenging for their favorite foods, like dead whales. But they are survivors who have been around for at least 330 million years, outlasting dinosaurs and surviving many mass extinction events in that time. One tool that has helped them survive for so long is their slime, which they release as a defensive mechanism when a predator approaches them. The goo covers the attacker, suffocating them and forcing them to retreat. Scientists have been studying the goo for years and recently started to realize that it could be used to create a super material with all kinds of possibilities. Labs hope to synthesize the material and make a biodegradable polymer that manufurers could use in everything from food packages to clothing. \r
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3. Royal Jelly\r
Not only do bees produce incredibly useful beeswax, but worker bees also secrete this jelly from their glands that are thought to have some miraculous health properties. Some researchers believe that the substance can slow the visual signs of aging, stimulate hair growth and heal bone frures amongst other incredible benefits. Unfortunately, theres little to no rock solid evidence to substantiate these claims as researchers have performed very few studies on the potential health advantages of the jelly. More time and research is needed to corroborate the allegations made about this potential miracle jelly.\r
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2. Spider Silk\r
When compared to steel of the same diameter, this wonder material is five times stronger. The substance is biodegradable, has stretching capabilities on par with rubber and has inspired synthetic materials like Kevlar and nylon. Ropes, parachutes, biodegradable bottles and artificial ligaments all contain spider silk. Researchers recently discovered that the silk has properties that could be used to manipulate certain frequencies of sound and heat. The strongest of all spiders silk comes from the Darwins Bark Spider, who make wheel-shaped webs that have been found to be up to 30 square feet in size, some of the largest webs ever found in nature.\r
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1. Snail Teeth\r
Researchers recently found natures strongest material from a very unlikely source, a sea snail. In a study published early in new scientists announced that the teeth of snail-like creatures called limpets are now the strongest biological material known on the planet. While the teeth are so small that researchers needed a microscope to examine them, they found that the teeth had a tensile strength of 5 gigapascals, which is five times s
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Subscribe to Talltanic \r
\r
8. Beeswax\r
Humans use the wax that honey bees naturally produce to make honeycombs in a variety of ways. It is a common ingredient found in chewing gum, is used as a coating for cheese, and increasingly in skincare and cosmetics. You can put beeswax on cast iron pieces to prevent them from rusting, and the wax is an excellent lubricant for old furniture or to restore smooth movement in drawers and windows. \r
\r
7. Cuttlefish Ink\r
The ink from this sea creature has a variety of uses. While its not used as a writing tool as much as it used to be, it has been found to help in several other areas of human life. Also known as sepia, its an effective homeopathic remedy for women going through menopause and is thought to help with depression. The cuttlefish use it as a defense mechanism as it disorients would be predators by affecting their sense of taste and smell. The fish also use their ink to hide their eggs from predators until the eggs hatch. \r
\r
6. Tarantula Venom\r
Muscular Dystrophy is a devastatingly debilitating disease that has no known cure. However, researchers are working on a drug derived from a chemical found in tarantula venom that may slow the progress of the disease. That same venom has been used to light up nerve cells, which help scientists to understand how those cells work and could lead to breakthroughs related to conditions like epilepsy. Experts are also working with spider venoms to create painkillers with fewer side effects.\r
\r
5. Cochineal Carcasses\r
The vast majority of red food dye is made of these crushed up insects. Manufurers dry the cochineals and grind them into a powder, which turns bright red when mixed with water. Starbucks announced that they would stop using the product in their drinks after vegetarian and animal conscious customers protested the use of the bug born dye in new. The popular coffee chain instead went with a vegetable extr to color their delicious, overpriced beverages. \r
\r
4. Hagfish Slime\r
Hagfish dont seem like fascinating creatures at first glance. They are nearly blind eel-like creatures that hang around the bottom of the ocean scavenging for their favorite foods, like dead whales. But they are survivors who have been around for at least 330 million years, outlasting dinosaurs and surviving many mass extinction events in that time. One tool that has helped them survive for so long is their slime, which they release as a defensive mechanism when a predator approaches them. The goo covers the attacker, suffocating them and forcing them to retreat. Scientists have been studying the goo for years and recently started to realize that it could be used to create a super material with all kinds of possibilities. Labs hope to synthesize the material and make a biodegradable polymer that manufurers could use in everything from food packages to clothing. \r
\r
3. Royal Jelly\r
Not only do bees produce incredibly useful beeswax, but worker bees also secrete this jelly from their glands that are thought to have some miraculous health properties. Some researchers believe that the substance can slow the visual signs of aging, stimulate hair growth and heal bone frures amongst other incredible benefits. Unfortunately, theres little to no rock solid evidence to substantiate these claims as researchers have performed very few studies on the potential health advantages of the jelly. More time and research is needed to corroborate the allegations made about this potential miracle jelly.\r
\r
2. Spider Silk\r
When compared to steel of the same diameter, this wonder material is five times stronger. The substance is biodegradable, has stretching capabilities on par with rubber and has inspired synthetic materials like Kevlar and nylon. Ropes, parachutes, biodegradable bottles and artificial ligaments all contain spider silk. Researchers recently discovered that the silk has properties that could be used to manipulate certain frequencies of sound and heat. The strongest of all spiders silk comes from the Darwins Bark Spider, who make wheel-shaped webs that have been found to be up to 30 square feet in size, some of the largest webs ever found in nature.\r
\r
1. Snail Teeth\r
Researchers recently found natures strongest material from a very unlikely source, a sea snail. In a study published early in new scientists announced that the teeth of snail-like creatures called limpets are now the strongest biological material known on the planet. While the teeth are so small that researchers needed a microscope to examine them, they found that the teeth had a tensile strength of 5 gigapascals, which is five times s