The Science of Python Bellies: What Next?

Following up on yesterday's post about the discovery of cells that help pythons metabolize bone, I gave Robert Pope a call and asked what the research could eventually mean for people. Here's what he told me:

The thought is to look at how it affects malnutrition -- how to get more calcium into the body. But we haven’t even started down that road yet.

We have to figure out how these cells do what they do. Maybe it’s a specific type of signaling to take up calcium better. Human cells require vitamin D to move calcium into the bloodstream; we don’t think these will be that way.

You always see the python eating the gazelle or whatever -- and this guy may only eat twice a year. He's got to make the most use of this one meal he possibly can. He needs to get all the nutrients he can. Pythons digest everything but hair. They are amazing animals.

Their intestinal mass increases by 40% after eating, their heart by 40% -- these guys crank up. We're just starting to look at all the tissues and see what’s happening. Down the road, we’re going to see a lot of cool stuff.

Robert said he'll next look at what happens to python eyes after eating. When I asked why, he responded with the words on which science thrives: "Because nobody's done it."

Image: KhayaL