By Stephen Beech

The secret of the Venus flytrap's deadly bite has finally been revealed.

The unique touch sensor of the carnivorous plant that feeds on insects has been identified by Japanese scientists .

Plants lack nerves, yet they can sensitively detect touch from other organisms.

In the Venus flytrap, highly sensitive sensory hairs act as tactile sensing organs.

When the hairs are touched twice in quick succession, they trigger the closure cascade that captures prey.

But the molecular identity of the touch sensor had remained unclear until now.

The Japanese researchers discovered that an ion channel named DmMSL10, enriched at the base of the sensory hairs, is the "key" touch sensor that enables the detection of very faint prey touches.

To visualize the dynamics, the team

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