Chapter 1
The math-loving monster
Chapter 2
The Carolina homebody
Chapter 3
Keeping love and lunch separate
Chapter 4
The dirty-minded botanists
Chapter 5
The underground botanical heist
YOUR GOAL
Master of Inside the secret jaws of the Venus flytrap
Ch 1 · The math-loving monster
alicecooks The Venus Flytrap
One touch is fine but I'll let it slide, Two quick taps and you're trapped inside!
alicecooks The DmMSL10 gene at the sensory hair base acts as a mechanosensor, converting physical pressure into an electrical
alicecooks An educational graphic card shows a Venus flytrap counting to five for digestion.
Fun Fact
Soggy plant logic: Venus flytraps can survive fully submerged underwater for up to several weeks without drowning or losing their traps.
Glossary
action potential (noun)
A temporary change in electrical potential associated with the passage of an impulse along a cell membrane. In 2016, researcher Rainer Hedrich discovered that Venus flytraps count these electrical impulses to identify live prey.
A temporary change in electrical potential associated with the passage of an impulse along a cell membrane. In 2016, researcher Rainer Hedrich discovered that Venus flytraps count these electrical impulses to identify live prey.
Quiz
Which chemical element acts as the Venus flytrap's internal short-term memory clock?
Quiz
How many times must a Venus flytrap's trigger hairs be touched within 30 seconds to close?
Quiz
How many total hair stimulations must occur for a Venus flytrap to begin digestion?
Quiz
What is the name of the mechanosensor gene that generates the electrical charge in Venus flytraps?
Quiz
Which hormone increases in a Venus flytrap to signal digestion as counting continues?