Heat-seeking vipers may help with U.S. defense, UT Austin researcher finds

An engineering professor at The University of Texas at Austin is helping the U.S. Air Force learn techniques to build better missile detectors by studying poisonous snakes. Dr. John Pearce, the Temple Foundation Endowed Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, studies Crotalines — better known as pit vipers. This family of reptiles includes rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths.