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0 pointsagumonkey8y ago0 comments

Fun fact: toxin meant arrow long ago, for taxus, (bark tree ?) which bow were made of. The funny part is that that tree is .. toxic, it embeds alcaloids which can kill. The taxus philogenetic family was often a symbol of death for cultures, and people commited suicide using its "effects". Lastly, those familiar with oncology probably know paclitaxel/taxol; which are molecules derived from these alcaloids for their cytotoxig capabilities (forbid mitosis and induce apoptosis).

ps: in death you seek knowledge. #deadline

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coldtea8y ago

>Fun fact: toxin meant arrow long ago, for taxus, (bark tree ?) which bow were made of

Actually from ancient Greek "toxicon" (related to archery) which stems from "toxon" (bow, not arrow), that got into latin. The association (toxicon -> toxic as in poisonous) came due to the practice of using poisons in archery (to make for lethal arrowheads).

Greeks took the word from Scythians. Taxus, for the yew family of trees (poisonous), is related to that, but the transfer to latin as currently used was through "toxic(os)".

agumonkeyOP8y ago

Yeah I skipped a beat on the bow -> poisonous arrows.

HillaryBriss8y ago

just a footnote to your fine comment: the origin of that particular drug is the Pacific Yew

https://dtp.cancer.gov/timeline/flash/success_stories/s2_tax...

this same tree, as you indicate, was also used by Native Americans for making hunting bows

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_bow

agumonkeyOP8y ago

I think the original taxol was made from Pacific Yew, but the synthesis is from another kind yielding a precursor molecule.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsagumonkey8y ago0 comments

ps: in death you seek knowledge. #deadline

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coldtea8y ago

>Fun fact: toxin meant arrow long ago, for taxus, (bark tree ?) which bow were made of

Greeks took the word from Scythians. Taxus, for the yew family of trees (poisonous), is related to that, but the transfer to latin as currently used was through "toxic(os)".

agumonkeyOP8y ago

Yeah I skipped a beat on the bow -> poisonous arrows.

HillaryBriss8y ago

just a footnote to your fine comment: the origin of that particular drug is the Pacific Yew

https://dtp.cancer.gov/timeline/flash/success_stories/s2_tax...

this same tree, as you indicate, was also used by Native Americans for making hunting bows

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_bow

agumonkeyOP8y ago

I think the original taxol was made from Pacific Yew, but the synthesis is from another kind yielding a precursor molecule.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse