The platypus is a peculiar creature. When first brought to England and put on display, it was said to be a fake made up of parts of other animals. For centuries it was just an oddity. Only recently it was found to have stingers. The venom is painful though not lethal to humans. This poison contains a useful chemical. A hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (or GLP-1), stimulates the release of insulin. Investigation is ongoing to find out if GLP-1 can be used to treat type 2 diabetes with GLP-1. Usual medication break down in the body fast. Human disease related to sugar control, or lack of it, is a stomach issue. GLP-1 is produced in the "stomach" as well as the stinger of the monotreme. The platypus genome project in 2008 showed that the animal has discarded a massive number of digestive genes, so it does not have a fully-functional stomach. The new wonder hormone breaks down very slowly. A more effective treatment may be on the way. Funding of $200,000 has been given by
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