Monday, October 26, 2020

How the Venus Flytrap ‘Remembers’ When It Captures Prey

I dedicate this to everyone who was rightfully scared of Audrey II.

via WIRED

Back in 2016, a team of German scientists discovered that the Venus flytrap can actually “count” the number of times something touches its hair-lined leaves—an ability that helps the plant distinguish between the presence of prey and a small nut or stone, or even a dead insect. The scientists zapped the leaves of test plants with mechano-electric pulses of different intensities and measured the responses. It turns out that the plant detects that first “action potential” but doesn’t snap shut right away, waiting until a second zap confirms the presence of actual prey, at which point the trap closes.

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