From poisonous plants to venomous snakes, there are some truly terrifying things that can kill you in under an hour. In this video, All Time 10s will take a look at the top 10 things that can put you out of your misery in under an hour. Enjoy! 1. Antifreeze.
1. Poisonous Plants
Like animals, plants use physical defence mechanisms to avoid predators, but some also produce toxins that can cause anything from discomfort to death in unlucky herbivores. Some of the most lethal plants are those that look beautiful but contain poisonous compounds that can harm humans and pets.
Water hemlock, a flowering plant in the carrot family that looks similar to Queen Anne’s lace or edible parsnips, contains deadly cicutoxin and can cause heart failure and paralysis of the cardiac muscles if eaten. People who have ingested it experience painful convulsions, numbness, and tremors that can lead to death.
Oleander is another pretty pink plant that contains toxic cardiac glycosides. Its berries have been responsible for homicidal and suicidal attempts in India. Even touching the plant can cause skin irritation. Like lily-of-the-valley, oleander has been used in folk medicine for centuries to treat everything from gout to muteness.
2. Snails
Like a tiny version of Jurassic Park’s Lindstradt air gun, the shell-encased, venomous cone snail can kill you in under an hour. This surprisingly powerful marine predator harpoons, tethers and paralyzes its prey before swallowing it whole.
The venom of this animal is made up of a string of amino acids that bends and folds into a three-dimensional shape called a peptide. The specific sequence of these peptides determines how and where the conotoxin proteins work in the snail’s prey, and how they affect a victim’s body.
These venomous sea snails are usually found in warm, tropical waters around the world. They have intricately patterned and brightly colored shells that are prized by collectors and are a source of interest to biomedical researchers. Avoid touching these critters if you come across their shells in the wild, and avoid putting them in your wetsuit or dive gloves.
3. Venomous Vipers
There are several venomous snakes that can kill you in under an hour if bitten. King cobras, saw-scaled vipers, and black mambas all contain toxic venoms that can cause a lot of bleeding in the body if not treated quickly.
These venoms have neurotoxins that affect blood clotting and muscle tissues. They can also cause respiratory failure and lead to a heart attack.
These snakes are responsible for many snakebite deaths each year, but the venom from the Inland Taipan isn’t as toxic as some of the others on this list. These venoms are highly lethal, but the snakes tend to avoid confrontation and use their tails to defend themselves when threatened. All snakes that belong to the family Viperidae are venomous, including rat snakes, moccasins and copperheads. But some snakes, like boomslangs, have short fangs that can’t inject venom without chewing.
4. Hypothermia
Humans function best in a very narrow range of body temperatures. When we are exposed to cold conditions for prolonged periods, our bodies lose heat faster than they can produce it. That loss of body heat can lead to hypothermia, and death can occur in under an hour if not treated.
Shivering is the first sign of hypothermia and a person’s body’s attempt to warm itself up. But as the person’s body temperature continues to drop, their heart and brain stop functioning properly. Confusion and sleepiness set in, and without quick rewarming, the person may experience cardiac arrest, shock and coma.
People who are elderly, young children and infants are more at risk for hypothermia because they have less fat and muscle mass to keep them warm. They are also more likely to take medications that slow their heart rate.
5. Laughter
Laughter is a universal expression – babies start smiling within the first few months of life, and many animals also exhibit laughter. The ubiquity of laughter suggests it is a part of our evolutionary heritage.
Whether you’re guffawing at a comedy show or quietly chuckling at a newspaper cartoon, laughing does the body good. It stimulates many organs, increases the intake of oxygen and releases endorphins.
When laughter and humor are part of daily life, they can help us to build resiliency and increase personal satisfaction. They also help to heal resentments and disagreements, and they promote healthy, supportive relationships. Laughter also provides the mental perspective needed to overcome challenges and hardships. So find time each day to enjoy humor and laugh with friends, family and coworkers. It will rejuvenate your life. And who knows, it might even save your life.
6. Sun Poisoning
Although the name sounds scary, sun poisoning is actually a severe form of sunburn. It occurs when you have been exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays for an extended period of time and can lead to a variety of symptoms including a blistering rash, fever, chills, nausea, confusion and dehydration.
Symptoms can also include oozing, increased redness and streaking, which could indicate a skin infection that requires medical attention. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention.
Sun poisoning can be prevented by using sunscreen with a high SPF, covering up when you’re outside and seeking shade when possible. You can also use ibuprofen or acetaminophen to alleviate pain, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Avoid alcohol or caffeine, which can increase dehydration. If your sun poisoning is very severe, you may need to visit a local urgent care.
7. Deer
Deer are one of the most recognizable animals in the world. They are graceful and beautiful, yet they can also be dangerous. Deer are extremely agile and fast, making them a formidable opponent in the wild.
Deer (Cervidae) are omnivorous grazers that evolved into large, imposing predators by taking advantage of environmental upheavals. Glacial erosions turned rugged landscapes into fertile soil, while erratic changes in water and land temperatures created transient, nutrient-rich habitats that were ideal for deer.
Like other ruminants, deer chew their food to break it down and ferment it with the help of microbes in their four-chambered stomachs. They are incredibly sensitive to predators and other danger, and their response is usually to run away. They can cover great distances with speed and are also able to jump tremendous heights. They can also hear noises far away and have a keen sense of smell.
9. Scuba Diving
A scuba dive that goes beyond your level of training or equipment can be deadly. At a certain depth the weight of water and build up of compressed nitrogen can start to impede your body’s ability to function properly, causing an impairment called nitrogen narcosis. It’s comparable to being drunk and can make it difficult to think clearly and perform a task such as scuba diving.
This can lead to a number of serious issues including aerogastralgia (swallowing air), pulmonary barotrauma, or even an air embolism within minutes of surfacing from your dive. To avoid this problem, a diver must do a slow ascent and a safety stop to allow the nitrogen bubbles in their blood to slowly expand until they are at the surface.
10. Alcohol
Alcohol is poisonous because it is absorbed directly into the bloodstream and affects the central nervous system, which controls virtually all body functions. Alcohol poisoning can cause a variety of symptoms including seizures, low body temperature (may be indicated by chills or shivering), uncoordinated movements and an irregular heartbeat.
Long term drinking can also lead to a variety of health problems such as high blood pressure, stroke and heart failure. It can also increase the chances of developing breast and other cancers, cause depression and interfere with relationships.
It takes about 13 shots of a very strong alcoholic drink to kill an average person, but that figure varies depending on size, age and other factors. The most common way to die from alcohol is by binge drinking over a short period of time. This can cause a buildup of alcohol in the bloodstream, which causes the body to shut down.