National Geographic Live: Deadliest Lifesavers

Portland’5 presents “National Geographic Live: Deadliest Lifesavers” at 7:30 p.m. March 28 at the Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, Portland. Tickets are $35 to $55 at portland5.com/newmark-theatre/events/national-geographic-live-deadliest-lifesavers.

Biomedical scientist Zoltan Takacs collects and researches the deadliest snake, scorpion, and jellyfish venoms for medical innovation—venoms that target vital life functions and thus could be the blueprint of novel medications. An aircraft pilot and scuba diver, he’s traveled to 155 countries and survived charging elephants, pirated waters, and a series of snake bites. Back in the lab, using cutting-edge genomics, he creates combinatorial venom libraries to identify leads for medicines.