Bugs put the heat in chili peppers

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Two hemipteran bugs attack the ripened fruit of a chili plant and scars from previous attacks are visible. Such attacks leave the fruit open to a fungal infestation that can kill the plants seeds. Credit: University of Washington
Two hemipteran bugs attack the ripened fruit of a chili plant, and scars from previous attacks are visible. Such attacks leave the fruit open to a fungal infestation that can kill the plant's seeds. Credit: University of Washington
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If you're a fan of habañero salsa or like to order Thai food spiced to five stars, you owe a lot to bugs, both the crawling kind and ones you can see only with a microscope. New research shows they are the ones responsible for the heat in chili peppers.


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