Venus flytrap

Gardeners and botany enthusiasts are sharing reports of a good harvest of Venus flytraps this year, posting photographs of the carnivorous plants alongside tags covering botany, ecology and biodiversity. The conversation sits within the growing community of carnivorous plant hobbyists who swap cultivation tips and document their specimens online.

A hobbyist shared microscope photographs of a Venus flytrap's digestive glands and trigger hairs, noting that the red pigment on the leaf begins in the circular glands and spreads outward, with specimens mounted on cavity slides in water. The images are drawing interest from plant and microscopy enthusiasts appreciating the close-up view of how the carnivorous plant's trapping mechanism works.

A new soft robot modeled on the Venus flytrap has been unveiled, capable of operating without wires. The design, reported by Hackster.io, takes cues from the carnivorous plant's rapid snapping mechanism and appears to work untethered, a notable step for soft robotics where power and control lines typically limit movement and real-world use.

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a new material inspired by the Venus flytrap that can sense objects and grasp them when exposed to light. The finding points to soft robotic hands that respond to stimuli without complex electronics, and it is drawing attention in robotics and materials science circles.