Innovations & technologies

Watch: Squids Will Potentially Make Soldiers Invisible

As it turns out, squids can make quite the contribution to military innovation. A research published recently by Northeastern University professor Leila Deravi demonstrates that the pigment granules found in cephalopod skin can be extracted and used to make ultrathin films that could potentially have utility across a wide variety of applications. Deravi’s team, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center, leveraged a deep understanding of cephalopod anatomy and physiology in order to arrive at their results. The team extracted enough squid pigment particles to do more than just study them individually—they were able to literally synthesize the fragments into full spools of fiber.

According to engineering.com, cephalopods, a class of carnivorous mollusk including squids and octopuses, have the ability to change colors to adapt to their environment. The anatomical features that provide them with this ability are called chromatophores. These cells, loosely analogous to pores in the human body, contain pigment granules that have very unique properties in terms of the way they absorb and reflect light. Deravi’s research focused on isolating these minute fragments of squid skin in order to gain a better understanding of those properties.