By Opal Miller
Today we attended a lecture at UNIC Athens, visited the Benaki museum, and saw the top of Mt. Lycabettus. In this morning’s lecture, we learned about venom chemistry, and how the different molecules in venom cocktails and their functional groups can be chemically manipulated to form analogs with medicinal applications. Some examples included Ozempic, which was originally derived from Gila Monster Lizard Venom, and blood clotting or anti-clotting agents based on various snake bites and how they chemically affected blood at injection sites. After the lecture, I got lunch at a local street vendor that made delicious pies, which in Greece have a more bread like pastry that folds completely around the filling, for which I tried mushroom and spicy mincemeat. After that we visited the Benaki Museum, which was based on a private collection of various artifacts ranging from Hellenistic Period Jewelry to Paintings from the Byzantine, Ottoman, and Revolution eras. It was impressive how so much was well preserved, especially the crowns with paper thin gold leaves. Finally, we traveled to the top of Mt. Lycabettus and enjoyed great views!