Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Close dialogue1/1 Next image Previous image Toggle caption ‘It’s very surprising that plant cell walls can tune their mechanical properties so fast,’ Dr Yoël Forterre said. Photograph: marcouliana/Getty Images/iStockphoto View image in fullscreen ‘It’s very surprising that plant cell walls can tune their mechanical properties so fast,’ Dr Yoël Forterre said. Photograph: marcouliana/Getty Images/iStockphoto Scientists reveal surprising mechanism behind Venus flytrap’s rapid snapIntricate tests show hair-trigger detection causes cells on outer surface of leaf to soften, prompting closure The Venus flytrap is one of nature’s most impressive predators, luring insects with the intoxicating scent of nectar before capturing them with a snap of its jaw-like leaves.Now, scientists have revealed the mechanism that allows the carnivorous plant to react with lightning speed, resolving a problem that stumped Charles Darwin and many researchers after him.In an intricate series of experiments, scientists found that a hair-trigger detection causes the cells on the outer surface of the leaf to soften. This prompts the flytrap to flip into a closed position within a second of a bug landing on the leaf.“When Darwin saw these plants move so fast, he was convinced that the plant had a muscle inside, but plants do not have muscles and they do not have nerves,” said Dr Yoël Forterre, a physicist at the French…
Published: June 11, 2026 6:02 pm
Source: The Guardian — Read original