Molecules/Matter & Energy
Groovy snake bites, buzzy microphones and coiling liquids in this week’s news
By Science News
Groovy snake bite
Snakes don’t need fancy pressurized fangs to inject venom. A groove on the outside of the tooth, which is more common, will do. The secret to this simple but deadly anatomy starts with the surface tension of the thick venom, which oozes out of a gland in the snake’s mouth. This tension allows the venom to stick to the tooth and spread out slowly, fearless scientists in the United States and Germany who milk snakes report. After a snake bites down, the victim’s tissue forms a tube that rapidly draws in the poison in less than a second, as described in an upcoming
Physical Review Letters
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