It’s called the bombardier beetle, and it’s a rather exceptional creature — and a new study published in Science helps us better understand the mysterious mechanisms at work in this amazing insect.

The beetle sprays liquid that is close to boiling out of its abdomen when threatened, raising the question of how the insect survives with these toxic chemicals its carries inside of it?

The new study in Science may help answer that. The beetle has been extensively photographed and documented, but its insides remained a mystery, so a research team used X-ray imaging to watch what happens within its body at a rate of 2,000 frames per second.

Apparently, the beetles mix two chemicals together that are inside a protect chamber within the abdomen, which shows just how they can carry such a lethal payload without harming themselves.

The X-rays showed that a passageway between the two internal chambers that hold the two mixing chemicals is controlled by the spray pulsation using a valve and a flexible membrane, according to the study.

As the passageway opens and closes, an increase in pressure during the explosion causes the membrane to expand, which simultaneously closes off the valve — only when the pressure is released and the liquid blown out at its enemies does the membrane relax back into the state it began in.

It’s an incredibly complex process that presents a wonder to scientists — and could actually have practical, real-world applications: i.e., systems that could protect against explosions, the researchers explained.