Good morning!
I’m Lacy McKay.
Here’s your daily dose of the KSJD outdoor report…
A discovery in an unexpected corner of nature may hold clues for future treatments of pain and neurological disorders. Chemist Emily Mevers and her team at Virginia Tech have identified a new set of alkaloids — naturally occurring compounds — in the secretions of a millipede species found right on campus. The compounds, named andrognathanols and andrognathines, were found to affect neuroreceptors in ant brains and may also interact with Sigma-1, a receptor tied to neurological health in humans.
The findings, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, mark a step forward in understanding millipede chemistry — a field that’s been largely overlooked. The next phase of research will involve synthesizing these complex compounds in the lab and evaluating their medical potential, including applications for treating chronic pain and degenerative brain diseases.
Millipedes — long considered just creepy crawlers — may soon crawl their way into modern medicine.
That’s the KSJD Outdoor Report for today.
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