boa
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‘Wasabi protein’ responsible for the heat-seeking sixth sense of rattlesnakes
Posted by Ed Yong on March 14, 2010
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Take a whiff of mustard or wasabi and you’ll be hit with a familiar burning sensation. That’s the result of chemicals in these pungent foods hitting a protein called TRPA1, a molecular alarm that warns us about irritating substances. The same protein does a similar job in other animals, but rattlesnakes and vipers have put…
Titanoboa – thirteen metres, one tonne, largest snake ever.
Posted by Ed Yong on February 4, 2009 This is sure to be one of the most amazing scientific images of the year. You’re looking at vertebrae from two species of snake. The smaller model on the left belongs to the anaconda, a giant serpent that can grow to 7 metres in length and weigh as much as 45kg. It’s arguably the largest…