Justin Brower 🌻☠️🌻 Profile picture
PhD Organic Chemist, Forensic Toxicologist & Prince of Poisons. Writing NATURE'S POISONS, the science & history of nature's most vicious creations for WW Norton
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Jul 7, 2022 12 tweets 3 min read
I haven't done any #PenAndInkPoison in a while - I've been busy - so here you go. Today we'll talk about a toxin with a significant history and mechanism of action, and also dabbles into conspiracy theories. I present to you T-2 MYCOTOXIN: OF FUNGAL TOXINS AND BEE POOP, a 🧵. Image T-2 Mycotoxin is produced by species of the fungal genus Fusarium. They're essentially molds that grow in soils and affect plants. If you grow tomatoes that yellow, wither, and die in late summer, you've probably heard of "Fusarium wilt."
Apr 11, 2022 11 tweets 3 min read
A lesson in *reading the article* 🧵
I'm a simple person so funny titles amuse me:
"Blackout Brownie: A Final Dessert Case Study"
So I read the abstract and this jumped out at me "delta-9-THC present at >5,000 ng/mL in the decedent’s central blood." WHOA!
academic.oup.com/jat/advance-ar… Now, greater than 5,000 ng/mL is huge (for perspective, some states have per se driving limits of 5 ng/mL), so I'm sure this will garner attention from anti-cannabis folks. What will madden them is the case was signed out as a natural cause of death. This was the correct call.
Mar 24, 2022 20 tweets 4 min read
Something different for Toxicology Thursday: OF PROHIBITION AND NICOTINE, a longish 🧵.
If you hang out here long enough you'll notice that people that deal with drugs, like forensic and clinical toxicologists, are generally opposed to the prohibition of drugs and substances. Why is that? If something is deemed bad or unsafe, shouldn't getting rid of it, banning it entirely, solve the problem? In a word, no. Nature abhors a vacuum and will fill it, sometimes with something worse, whether we're talking about a drug, a gangster, or a politician.
Mar 17, 2022 15 tweets 4 min read
Ready for some #PenAndInkPoison?
For some reason, I like the poisons in our food. I should clarify: I like the poisons *nature* puts in our food. We all gotta eat, right?
So buckle up for a 🧵, for today I present you with something new: BONGKREKIC ACID Chemical structure of bongkrekic acid and a purple Narwhal f Have you ever had tempeh? It's an Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. Tempeh is sold as a very firm cake and has a wonderful nutty, earthy flavor. It's common in vegetarian and vegan cooking. I like it a lot. [FoodCraftLab (CC BY-SA-2.0)] stacked cakes of tempeh
Mar 15, 2022 19 tweets 8 min read
Yesterday I mentioned PRACTICAL MAGIC and one of my favorite poisoning tales, and it's been a few years and 5K followers since I last posted it, so I thought I'd re-up it. So settle in for a murder gone wrong and "Justin's Three Rules of Murder." A long 🧵. Image I ❤️ Sandra Bullock. And I ❤️PRACTICAL MAGIC. It's a classic tale of "Girl meets boy, boy is an abusive serial killer who kidnaps the girl and her sister, sister poisons bad boy’s tequila with belladonna, bad boy dies. Throw in some magic for good measure." We’ve all been there. Image
Mar 4, 2022 11 tweets 4 min read
For some #PenAndInkPoison today I want to talk about thebaine, mentioned briefly yesterday when discussing laudanosine and papaverine. Morphine gets all the glory as an opium poppy alkaloid, but I'd argue that thebaine is much, much more important. Thebaine is not used therapeutically but is used commercially in the synthesis of some of the most important opioids we have on the market today. In anywhere from 2 to 8 steps you can produce all of the opioids shown below - there are more, but these are the important ones.
Mar 3, 2022 14 tweets 4 min read
It's Thursday! I hate Thursdays, it's a cruel reminder that it's not yet Friday. To help us feel better, let's look at how the world of nature's poisons can intersect with postmortem forensic toxicology. I present to you LAUDANSOSINE and PAPAVERINE. Laudanosine and papaverine are minor alkaloids found in the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), but they don't get near the attention of the heavy-hitter opiate morphine, which is made (rather simply) into heroin. Other alkaloids found in opium poppy are codeine and thebaine.
Mar 2, 2022 12 tweets 4 min read
Do you need a break? Are y'all up for a quick Pen & Ink Poison? This magnificent beast is Brevetoxin-1. I love all the polycyclic ethers and the fact that it has 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9-membered rings. But as lovely as she is, she's quite harmful, both physically and economically. Image There are about a dozen structurally similar brevetoxins that are produced by the dinoflagellate (a.k.a. algae) Karenia brevis. This algae is responsible for the "red tides" along the Gulf Coast in states like Florida.
Mar 1, 2022 12 tweets 4 min read
It's ToxTuesday. I know we could use a little breather from *all this*, so let's take a look at a scary toxin, ORELLANINE, and admire another pretty @twsbi pen. (If you want to sponsor me, TWSBI, hit me up! 😅) Orellanine is a mycotoxin, a toxin produced by fungi. Specifically, it is found in Cortinarius orellanus and Cortinarius rubellus, commonly known as "fools webcap" and "deadly webcap" mushrooms.
Pro tip: Don't eat things with "deadly" in their name.
Feb 22, 2022 12 tweets 4 min read
It's ToxTuesday and we're going to talk about nicotine. I know what you're thinking, "nicotine poisoning isn't sexy," but I'm here to change your mind. So I present to you Green Tobacco Sickness. Image North Carolina, and Durham, was founded on tobacco. There was huge money in tobacco, but even though the industry is in decline, it's still important to NC with revenue of ~$1B/yr. As an aside, the Durham Bulls were originally named the Tobacconists in 1902 (cc @stephaniekays). Image
Nov 22, 2021 15 tweets 4 min read
Happy Monday!
I'm often asked what the "best" poison to die from is - i.e. quick or painless. Well, the other day a colleague asked me what I thought the "worst" poison was. There's no right answer, but I almost always go with colchicine. A 🧵 Colchicine is a prescription drug used to treat gout but it also has the most lovely natural sources, like the autumn crocus and the flame lily 😍. I'm sure you can figure out which is which.
Oct 22, 2021 14 tweets 4 min read
Jake died last May, presumably from taking a Xanax mimic containing fentanyl, the family released yesterday. This tragic death is sure to shed light on the growing problem of "fake pills," so here's everything you need to know about them. A 🧵. si.com/college/2021/1… "Fake pills" have been around for a long time, but they received national attention in late 2015, when several people in SanFransisco died after taking Xanax bars purchased off the street. They were not alprazolam, but contained fentanyl, instead. cbsnews.com/news/fake-xana…
Oct 20, 2021 19 tweets 4 min read
A toxicologist's take on the ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING finale.
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SPOILER ALERT
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SPOILER ALERT
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YOU'VE BEEN WARNED
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Let's dive into the murder and poisoning of Tim Kono, and other things, a 🧵: Tim Kono's autopsy report revealed the immediate cause of death was acute secobarbital poisoning. So what's secobarbital? It's a barbiturate, a class of drugs used for anxiety, as a sleep aid, and for seizures. They are widely called "sedative-hypnotics" because they....sedate.
Jun 3, 2021 12 tweets 5 min read
Here's something fun and different for Toxicology Thursday: a self-guided poison plant tour at @ncartmuseum. Admittedly, it's centered around Raleigh-Durham folks, but these plants can be found throughout the southeast and other parts of North America. [link to PDF at the end] Starting at the main lot, we'll walk down into the open clearing to find POKEWEED. The berries are poisonous and will stain your hands. Mature plants are poisonous too, but small young ones used to be sold in cans.
Jan 14, 2021 15 tweets 5 min read
It's Thursday and time for toxicology, so enough politics, let's talk poisons (I think I need this more than you!). Today it's all about one of our favorite condiments, HORERADISH. It may seem simple, but its pungency is due to a binary weapon! So that's horseradish growing in my garden, in case you were wondering where it actually came from. It goes amazingly well and the young leaves are edible - they add a nice little kick to a sandwich.
Nov 26, 2020 11 tweets 4 min read
Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the US! Happy Thursday to the rest of y'all.

I told you these were coming during my #amwriting breaks! In the spirit of overeating and edible things, here's the toxic tale of COPRINE. The inkcap mushrooms, or "inky caps", are edible mushrooms with a mild flavor. I know, you're here for the poisonous mushrooms, not the edible ones. It is edible, but not when you consume them with alcohol! Weird, I know, but I'll explain. [pic by Nick Saltmarsh (CC BY-2.0)]
Nov 25, 2020 13 tweets 3 min read
As promised, more toxic tales as I take a break from #amwriting. What I love about poisons is where it takes you: chemistry, biology, history... maybe the ED or a shallow grave.

Today we'll talk about the neurotoxic, hiccup-inducing, destroyer of kidneys CARAMBOXIN. Caramboxin is found in starfruit, the fruit that is, uh, shaped like stars. It grows throughout Southeast Asia and tastes like a citrusy apple to me. It's a unique flavor and I rather like it. [pic by Ting W. Chang (CC BY-2.0)]
Nov 24, 2020 9 tweets 3 min read
I have the rest of the week off, so when I take a break from #amwriting, expect a bunch of these.

You've heard of capsaicin, right? The the "hot" chemical in chili peppers? Today I present you with RESINIFERATOXIN. It's 🔥🔥🔥! The resin spurge plant, Euphorbia resinifera is a cactus-y type thing found in north Africa. If you cut it open, it exudes a milky latex that contains resiniferatoxin. But watch out! [Pic by James Steakley (CC BY-SA 3.0)]
Aug 26, 2020 13 tweets 3 min read
*Internal screaming*

Every reputable and credible forensic pathologist and toxicologist has issues with this "reporting."

A thread, as the kids say. First, forensic toxicology, or any part of a medico-legal death investigation, can not be done in a vacuum. I made this for death investigation talks. It's like the fire triangle: heat, fuel, air. To determine a cause of death we need: Investigation, Pathology, and Toxicology.
Jun 6, 2019 13 tweets 3 min read
It's Toxicology Thursday!
Let's talk about Tinyatoxin. It's got a funny name, which is why I chose it, but there's nothing tiny about the pain it produces...it brings the heat, literally. On the chemistry side of things, it's got a super weird structure. That tri-phenoxyethyl ether thingy is odd (that's the top part, with the three oxygens (O's) I'm talking about). I don't know if I've seen a structure with one of those before, and I've seen a lot of structures.
Apr 17, 2019 27 tweets 10 min read
A is for aconitine,
the Queen of Poisons she’s called.
Acting on ion-channels
flutters the heart, leaves it mauled.

There is plenty in Monkshood,
roots and leaves look delicious.
But snuck into a curry
is awfully suspicious. B is for batrachotoxin,
it’s a bit difficult to say.
On the skin of poison dart frogs,
just one lick will ruin your day.

Paralysis sets in quickly
while depolarizing your nerves.
Remember when you are frozen,
dart frogs make horrible hors d’oeuvres.