1. How snakes see heat » Finally, an explanation for the long-standing mystery of how snakes sense warm-blooded prey from just their body heat, sometimes at a meter’s distance—the “wasabi receptor” TRPA1, which detects chemical irritants in mammals, has evolved in pit vipers to respond to heat.
E.O. Gracheva et al., Nature 2010 Apr 15, 464(7291):1006–11. Evaluated by Roger Hardie, University of Cambridge; Paul Garrity, Brandeis University; Felix Viana, UMH Instituto de Neurociencias; Andy Groves, Baylor College of Medicine ID: 2579956
2. How H. pylori does it » The ulcer-causing H. pylori can survive indefinitely in the human stomach, and its transcriptome might explain why—extensive regulation by small RNAs could limit bacterial growth, reducing its impact on hosts (which thereby leave it be).
C.M. Sharma et al., Nature 2010 Mar 11, 464(7286):250–55. Evaluated by Alberto Danielli and Vincenzo Scarlato, University of Bologna; Stefanie Vogt and Tracy Raivio, University of Alberta; ...
