Tweets by Samuel Robinson usually read like this: “Velvet Ant. Ephutomorpha bicolorata. 12mm. Australia. Sharp, sparkling, surprisingly persistent – like a bauble you stepped on that left a shard of glass in your foot. Pain Level: 1.5.”

Robinson works at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. The researcher has specialized in something that most people tend to avoid. Researching the effects and toxins of animals and plants, he allows himself to be stung and bitten in the name of science. But Robinson informs himself very precisely: He doesn’t proceed “recklessly”, but does a lot of research in advance and makes sure that “nothing kills him,” he says.

That means he didn’t test the really deadly poisoners of the fifth continent – some snake species like the taipan, the funnel-web spider or the box jellyfish – for safety reasons. Nevertheless, his activity is of course not worth imitating. Unlike some others, Robinson is not allergic to the venoms and has therefore never had a really serious reaction, although he has probably been bitten hundreds if not more than a thousand times by various animals and plants.

Determine a pain level

His family has now gotten used to the scientist conducting experiments on his own body – although “sometimes my wife accuses me of turning into a mad scientist,” he says. His children, on the other hand, are already used to it: When one of the big “teddy bear bees” flew into Robinson’s house, for example, he immediately caught it and let the Australian bee species sting him on purpose. According to the molecular biologist, the bee’s sting achieved the scientific name Amegilla bombiformis a pain level of 2.5 and is therefore slightly more painful than that of the European honey bee, which is average with a two.

For the assessment, Robinson works with the so-called “Schmidt stab pain index”, which allows pain caused by a sting or bite to be described. The index ranges from one (least painful, calibrated to the honey bee sting) to four (most painful). Behind the index is Justin Schmidt, an American entomologist who has also been stung and bitten by more than 150 different species of insects from all over the world.

New drugs for pain

The Australian researcher therefore endures the torment in order to find potential biomedical applications based on the plant and animal toxins. He also wants to understand how toxins affect the human body. The aim is to find out what different animals and plants use to defend themselves and how these molecules work in the human body down to the smallest molecular level.

According to Robinson, pain is a very “complex” subject. There are many different types of pain, but only limited drugs to treat them, the researcher explained. Finding more alternatives in pain management requires creativity and knowing exactly what these drugs are intended to target. According to Robinson, the past 50 years have been the “era of molecular biology” and the opportunities for many new discoveries are great.

“Like sticking your finger in the door”

Among the most painful experiences so far have been the so-called gympie-gympie or stinging tree – Dendrocnide moroides – which Robinson rated a three on the pain scale. He came into contact with the tree in an Australian national park. It was “an intense, stabbing pain” that started immediately. The spot also hurt for weeks afterwards. “As soon as something cold got in there, the pain was back — just as intense as it had been at first,” he said.

Even worse than the poisonous tree was a red-haired centipede – Scolopendra morsitans – who also lives in Australia and scores at a 3.5 on the scale. The molecular biologist described the pain of this bite as a “deep pain” that gradually builds up – a bit like a tree growing out of your arm. The most painful experience, however, was the sting of an Australian wasp – the Heterodontonyx bicolor – who has reached a maximum of four on the pain scale. The very large wasp that hunts spiders had to be held by Robinson with long tweezers to get close enough to sting him. The pain came on immediately, according to Robinson, and was “throbbing,” a bit like “snapping your finger in a door.” He would rather stay away from these insects in the future, says Robinson.