According to this report, Harvard University Professor Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan and a team of researchers have found how the carnivorous Venus Flytrap mechanically ensnares its prey.
Venus Flytraps
Research results, which are reported in today's issue of the journal Nature, show that the fast closure of the plant occurs from a snap-buckling instability. The scientists liken the process to a tennis ball or contact lens flipped inside out and then popping back into shape. Tensile strength in the leaves allows this to occur. Scientists hope to someday be able to replicate the plant's ability in artificial devices that depend on minute movement of liquids or gases.
The recent findings have invigorated interest in solving the mystery of how the plant controls its movements. Most disappointing, however, is the rumor that no progress has been achieved as yet on the mystery of how to pronounce the team leader's name.
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