Watch out! It’s a snake! Or is it? In this week’s episode, we’re diving deep underground in the search for the reason behind stunted root growth and we talk about animals that pretend to be dangerous – and some that actually are. 

• Plant roots sense soil compaction through restricted ethylene diffusion, BY BIPIN K. PANDEY, GUOQIANG HUANG, RAHUL BHOSALE, SJON HARTMAN, CRAIG J. STURROCK, LOTTIE JOSE, OLIVIER C. MARTIN, MICHAL KARADY, LAURENTIUS A. C. J. VOESENEK, KARIN LJUNG, JONATHAN P. LYNCH, KATHLEEN M. BROWN, WILLIAM R. WHALLEY, SACHA J. MOONEY, DABING ZHANG, MALCOLM J. BENNETT, SCIENCE15 JAN 2021 : 276-280
  • Full paper on researchgate
  • Link to video
  • An article by the authors on The Conversation

• 1st preserved dinosaur butthole is ‘perfect’ and ‘unique,’ paleontologist says
• A cloacal opening in a non-avian dinosaur, Current Biology 
• Hissing like a snake: bird hisses are similar to snake hisses and prompt similar anxiety behavior in a mammalian model
• Do German snakes go ß ß ß ß ß ßß ß ß ß ß ßß ß ß ß ß ß ? : shittyaskscience
• These rats use toxic hair products to fight of attackers – and they purr
• Poison Peas and the Australian Arms Race 
• A thread of animals disturbing wildlife photographers
• Gribble 
• Molecular insight into lignocellulose digestion by a marine isopod in the absence of gut microbes
• Tea Bag Index: a novel approach to collect uniform decomposition data across ecosystems
• Altered N-glycan composition impacts flagella-mediated adhesion in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
• Intoxicating chemicals in catnip and silver vine protect felines from mosquito bites
• Not to stimulate cats, they said – Plants and Pipettes 

Check out the new episode of the plant book club! And while you’re there, also go and check out Flora-L Design!

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Our opening and closing music is Caravana by Phillip Gross

Until next time!

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