Understanding how pythons swallow massive meals may help develop new human heart medicines By Darren Incorvaia Aug 23, 2024 12:30pm heart Chromatin gene expression Myogen ...

A ball python from Leinwand’s lab. CREDIT: Yuxiao Tan. Compared with the hearts of pythons who hadn’t eaten, the fed pythons increased their own mass by close to 25 percent after eating.

Leslie Leinwand, a University of Colorado Boulder professor, leads one of the few labs worldwide that studies pythons to improve human health.

Do ball pythons like to be cuddled? Once a ball python becomes comfortable in its environment, it may bond with its human companion.