![]() Takacs went on to become one of the inventors of designer toxin technology, a method of uncovering the ways that animal venoms can be used to combat human ailments. Venom that prevents blood from clotting, for instance, may help create a drug for heart attack victims by encouraging blood flow. Although these venoms can be deadly to prey animals-and sometimes humans-they can also provide valuable medical assistance for some diseases. ![]() Still other venoms target the heart or lungs, causing the target to suffocate. Other venoms target muscles, paralyzing the target. Without the capability to clot, a prey animal quickly bleeds to death. Some venoms target the way a prey animal’s blood clots. One aspect of venom that intrigued Takacs was how the substance is able to zoom in on particular components of the prey’s body to immobilize or kill it. Eventually, he earned a PhD from Columbia University in New York City. Takacs’ interest in venoms led him to study pharmacology, which is the study of drugs and their effects. “I think the venom and the molecules in the venom-the toxins-are the coolest molecules nature ever invented,” he says. just to find out a few weeks later that I’m allergic to the snake anti- venom! I did learn a lot during that early period.” Coolest Molecules Nature Ever Invented Eventually, Takacs found out that he was not only fascinated by snakes, but that he was also intrigued by their venom, a poisonous fluid some snakes secrete and use on their prey. It was my mistake just as the other six bites I have had since then. “I tried to measure the length of the snake. “I kept vipers at home in my room, and I got bitten ,” he says. Those experiences were not always pleasant. The herpetologist says he discovered valuable information about snakes during his early encounters with the animals while growing up in Budapest, Hungary. That’s how I got into the snake business.” Takacs is currently a research associate and assistant professor at the University of Chicago and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. ![]() “Later, in high school, this turned into a more advanced snake-keeping hobby. “That’s where I was exposed first to snakes, reptiles, amphibians and other wildlife, so I started to catch them, take them home and keep them in all kinds of basic conditions,” he says. A herpetologist is someone who studies reptiles and amphibians. ![]() The Hungarian herpetologist says his initial interest in snakes came from spending his childhood summers in Transylvania, a region in the neighboring country of Romania. Zoltan Takacs collected all kinds of different snakes. Instead of collecting comic books or sports memorabilia as a kid, Dr. ![]()
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