Anybody who knows anything about the ocean knows there are countless predators down there. While they may not be predator-ing on humans, they're certainly going after other marine organisms, many of which are sedentary. These sedentary animals, like anemones for instance, rely on powerful toxins for defense. In recent years, research has shown that in addition to defeating hungry sea creatures, potent chemicals extracted from undersea organisms may be used to help humans defeat disease. Over the years, one such researcher, William Fenical, has been very successful at bioprospecting, or looking for chemicals underwater. For example, he's found:- Pseudopterosin, an anti-inflammatory chemical found in the sea-whip Pseudopterogoria elisabethae. Interestingly, when these sea-whips are "pruned" and harvested, the whip actually grows back stronger and healthier than before, meaning this endeavor is not only good for the organisms, it provides sustainable employment for low-income coastal residents.
- A small, yellow coral in Australia that yields eleutherobin, which prevents cancer cell division.
- Two other compounds that may work against cancer, and one compound that may help patients fight Herpes simplex.
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