Venom: Nature's Killer

This PBS-aired NOVA special looks at venom's varying effects on humans—often fatal, but also (surprisingly) possibly helpful as well. Killing as many as 100,000 people per year, the poison emitted by snakes, spiders, snails, and jellyfish is a deadly form of chemical warfare that can paralyze muscles, blow up blood cells, and even digest the body from within. Director Chad Cohen's Venom, narrated by Jamie Effros, features graphic images that illustrate venom's devastating effects inside and outside a victim's body, as well as hair-raising photography that presents the poisonous creatures up close and personal. The documentary follows intrepid scientists to far-flung spots in Vietnam and other locales, where they take delight in seeking out venomous reptiles, many of which are rare and not well understood. In one particularly revealing segment, a researcher describes the agonizing, near-fatal sting she received from a box jellyfish, which has inspired her to intensify study of this floating sea creature. On the plus side, new research suggests that this potentially lethal substance may actually carry properties that could be used to treat human heart disease, epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and stroke. Sadly, some of the “deadly saviors” that dispense it are disappearing just as we're beginning to understand and appreciate their possible value. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)