CEPHALOPODS’ INVISIBILITY POWERS COULD SOMEDAY BE OURS, NOW THAT WE KNOW HOW TO CONTROL THEM
If you’ve ever wanted your own invisibility cloak, just like Harry Potter's, it could soon be (sort of) possible.
The wizardry of changing color, or at least wearing something which changes color, might be more than just fantasy. Reflectins are the light-reflecting proteins that make cephalopods like squid, octopi, and cuttlefish such masters of disguise. These proteins reflect light to help a cephalopod disappear into its surroundings so it seems invisible to predators. Now scientists at UC Irvine have finally figured out the structure of reflectins at a molecular level and are able to manipulate them — almost like magic.