Deadly mushroom now cancer cure

Introducing the death cap. Europe’s most deadly mushroom. Eating even half of one of these friendly looking (and tasty) fellas can send you to the morgue in less than a week. But, scientists have discovered this mushroom might be a lot more magic then mayhem. In fact, it might just be a cancer cure and all thanks to proteins.

The death cap has very powerful toxins. It’s these that quickly turn vomiting and diarrhoea into bleeding of the brain alongside liver and kidney failure. Death is quick. These toxins are fast acting and focused. They know exactly where to go in the body and which cells to attack to maximise their effect. The toxins tactical edge is all in special proteins called cyclic peptides. Considering cyclic means going around in a circle, these are exactly that…rings of protein. This is their secret. GCSE and A level Biology requires us to know that proteins are made from chains of amino acids all glued together. But these cyclic peptides don’t end in a chain. They curl around and meet at each end. Because other proteins struggle to latch on to them they roll through the body like a bullet slipping through our fingers.

Here's where scientists in Michigan, USA, had a clever idea. Why not use this tactic to only kill what we want killed. Cancer cells! Still, I don’t recommend eating one.

FYI. Here's a photo of the death cap from infant to adult. Don't eat it. It's definitely not going to cure cancer that way.