Story perspectives

Physicists Show Leaf Softening Drives Flytrap Snap, Not Hydraulics

6/16/2026

Summary

Story summary

Physicist Jeongeun Ryu and CNRS colleagues reported that rapid softening, which reduces outer leaf rigidity by about 40 percent after hair stimulation, triggers Venus flytrap closure.
Snap-closure finishes in 0.2 seconds, far faster than the 30-150 seconds water would need to cross the trap, refuting the hydraulic model.
Using a nanoindenter probe, the team measured stiffness differences between outer and inner walls and published the findings in Science on June 11, 2026.

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Story summary

Physicist Jeongeun Ryu and CNRS colleagues reported that rapid softening, which reduces outer leaf rigidity by about 40 percent after hair stimulation, triggers Venus flytrap closure.
Snap-closure finishes in 0.2 seconds, far faster than the 30-150 seconds water would need to cross the trap, refuting the hydraulic model.
Using a nanoindenter probe, the team measured stiffness differences between outer and inner walls and published the findings in Science on June 11, 2026.