We live in a very developed and advanced society with many medicines that can cure many different ailments. What some people don't realize is we have all these very helpful materials on the land but think of all the possible medicines we could develop from the deep sea. I mean think of it logically the ocean covers upwards 70% of the Earth's surface and we've only explored about 5% of the ocean. There are still very many prevalent health issues that we don't have cures for but we need to find cures for. Such as deadly diseases like cancer and ALS. People lose loved ones all the time from incurable conditions and maybe some organisms in the ocean could change this. There have already been some chemicals that have been discovered that can help people or we think could have the possibility of helping. The first chemical that is being tested currently in humans as a treatment for breast and ovarian cancer and many different types of solid tumors is called Ecteinascidin. This chemical is extracted from tunicates which are a marine organism from the phylum chordata. If we manage to create an effective cure to these types of cancer it could save millions. I know people who would benefit from this. One of my neighbors has breast cancer and the same with one of my mom's friends parents. This could be the next huge discovery by mankind. This isn't the only type of medicine we are trying to find though. Many people require surgeries every year to fix parts of their body that are in pain or not working properly and many people get prescribed pain killers after these procedures. Some people get very addicted because most of these medicines are derived from the infamous opium poppies ( one of the most addictive substances known to man). These addictions can ruin many people's lives and leave them in shambles. Currently though, we are doing research on a chemical called w-conotoxin MVIIA Which is extracted from the small yet deadly cone snail, Conus magus, as a new type of painkiller. I find this quite surprising because something so deadly could be something that helps humanity very positively. Typically this mollusk causes issues for people if they interact due to the fact that it is quite venomous and can kill a person with ease. They shoot out a hypodermic needle which is basically a modified radula that is specialized for killing prey extremely fast. If they found a non-addictive or even less addictive alternative to modern painkillers it could be a huge breakthrough. If people just realized what the ocean could possibly hold and how it benefits us in our day-to-day life they would be astounded. We as humans need to protect the ocean, study it, and observe it much more than we have been because it could be the solution to many of our problems. The mindless destruction humans do to this Earth is sickening. It seems like if there isn't something completely terrible happening no one will pay attention and fix the issues we need to.
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