Scientists identify Venus flytrap’s rapid snap mechanism (opens in new tab)

Researchers said the Venus flytrap’s rapid closure begins when cells in the trap’s outer layer quickly soften, causing the hinged leaf lobes to flip shut after prey touches hair-like trigger structures. The study, published in Science, identifies rapid cell-wall softening, or relaxation, as the physical mechanism that initiates a plant movement that has drawn scientific attention since Charles Darwin studied the carnivorous plant. The finding challenges the long-standing hypothesis that the t...