Every time a Burmese python swallows a meal, something remarkable happens inside its body. Its heart expands by a quarter.

A Burmese python’s ability to swallow prey equal to its own body weight and survive without food for over a year has been linked to a metabolic substance that strongly suppresses appetite. U.S.

Scientists have discovered a compound in python blood that reduces appetite and could lead to safer, more effective weight-loss drugs.