Octopuses have an amazing ability to move in water, control their arms with sophistication and camouflage perfectly. A series of studies suggests using these features to develop a robot for underwater work, a flexible arm for medical purposes and improved camouflage uniforms for the military.
Naa Rubin, Zveta - news agency for science and the environment
An in-depth observation of animals and the natural world in general can be an inspiration for developments relevant to humans - in the fields of medicine, technology, environmental protection and sometimes also fashion. The lotus leaves, for example, which are optimally resistant to water, inspired the first umbrella manufacturers in China 1700 years ago, and even today they are intensively researched in order to create waterproof fabrics for the fashion industry, and even more efficient membranes for cardiopulmonary machines.
A new discovery published recently shows that squids and octopuses can inspire developments related to camouflage, and even be relevant to the creation of military clothing. Among other things, the field has been studied in depth in Israel as well.
Inspiration from nature
Many technological developments, both simple and sophisticated, which are a significant part of our daily routine, began with a simple observation of nature. The field of biomimicry, the imitation of nature and biology, is a field that is becoming more and more common in recent years, and is an inspiration for developments in a very wide range of subjects. This month, for example, it was announced that there are yellow pigments in the cell membrane (membrane) of certain bacteria that allow them to defend themselves from free radicals, which can cause them severe damage. The same free radicals also cause cellular damage in humans to "aging" the skin. Understanding this feature of the bacteria could possibly help in the development of cosmetic products that slow down the aging of the skin.
Many marine animals also serve as inspiration for human developments. The oceans were the habitat of the beginning of life. Throughout evolution, many and varied species have developed in marine sources, and the need to deal with changing and even extreme conditions, such as changing temperature, predators and strong currents, caused marine species to develop diverse survival abilities, which were not developed in many of the animals on land.
An interesting example of an animal that contributed a lot to the field of biomimicry is the shark. The skin of the sharks is made of three-dimensional scales that resemble teeth. The currents created around these scales reduce friction with the water and contribute to the shark's ability to swim quickly. Therefore, they contributed to the design of swimwear for swimmers.
Octopuses have the ability to control the lens of their eye, in a way that allows them to see well in both air and water. Photo: Qijin Xu - Unsplash
Jet motion in water
Among the various classes of animals that have developed throughout evolution in the depths of the sea, one of the unique ones is the cephalopods, which is part of the mollusc system. In this department you can find, among others, the squids and octopuses, which are among the most developed marine creatures and invertebrates. In Israel, octopuses are studied in various aspects in the laboratory of Dr. Nir Nesher and Dr. Tal Shomerat in the Faculty of Marine Sciences of Rupin College. "The cephalopods have developed impressive cognitive abilities and behaviors, especially when compared to a considerable part of the other molluscs, which lack an organized central brain," explains Nesher. "The head-feet's brain, their camouflage abilities, their eyes and their regenerative abilities make them highly developed and unique animals," adds Itamar Katz, who works in Nesher and Shimat's laboratory.
Their eyes, for example, are very different from ours. "While our eyes have three photoreceptors - cells that help us see color - the eyes of cephalopods have one, making them color blind. Despite this 'weakness', cephalopods also have the ability to control the lens of their eye, in a way that allows them to see Good in both air and water - unlike humans, who only see good in air, and fish, who only see good in water," adds Katz.
In addition to this, octopuses have developed a unique body that allows them a variety of movement abilities, such as swimming, crawling and jet movement in water, and they are able to push their flexible bodies through narrow passages and slits. "These abilities require sophisticated but simple control to avoid a tremendous computational burden on the brain," explains Nesher. All of these features lead to octopus research turning more and more in the applied direction.
The evolutionary development of these creatures also made them the most complex and unique skin coloration and structure in the animal world, and these are used by them for camouflage and communication. "In the skin of the octopus, there are several types of chromtophores - small sacs that hide an area with color inside them," Nesher explains. The chromatophore is the organ responsible for the changing color of the octopuses: the chromatophores are arranged in layers in the skin, and each layer contains chromatophores of the same color (yellow below and black in the upper layer). The cell is built as a cyst that contains a pigment of a certain color. The sac is surrounded by muscles that each of them can reach nerve stimulation. When one arrives, the muscles contract and stretch the sac with the pigment to the sides so that it expands and flattens, thereby revealing or hiding the painted area and allowing the color of the pigment to be seen clearly.
absorb light through the skin
In Nesher's and Shemarat's laboratory, many properties of octopuses are studied. Different methods are used to test their learning and memory abilities, their ability to control their arms, which are able to grasp objects and crawl even when they detach from the octopus, and even their camouflage abilities. The laboratory is located right next to the sea - and is therefore fed by seawater, which allows octopuses to be grown under conditions similar to natural ones. In recent years, the researchers have been partners in several studies funded by the European Union, such as the development of a robot for underwater work and the development of a flexible arm for medical purposes.
Now, in a joint project with Tufts University in the United States (Tufts University) and the US Navy, they are studying the chromatophores in squid, and complex laboratory tests are being done in order to understand their rapid color changing abilities. Even though they are color blind, the camouflage ability of octopuses is almost perfect, and with the help of chromatophores they adapt themselves to the colors and texture of the environment. In addition, when fully blind octopuses are examined, the ability to camouflage is not present, so the mechanism that allows them to change their color to the colors of the environment is not completely clear, but requires vision through the poor. "It is known that the chromatophore system responds to light received through sensors in the skin of the octopus, which raises the possibility that at least part of its camouflage ability results from direct absorption of light through the skin," says Nesher.
In order to better understand the nervous system that enables the octopus's colors and the rapid color change, samples of octopus skin tissues are taken in Nesher's laboratory and preserved. The samples can continue to function even when they are not attached to the octopus. Neural stimuli and changing lighting are applied to the samples, and then, with the help of image processing techniques, an attempt is made to understand how the chromatophores work. While in Nesher and Shemat's laboratory the biological aspect is studied, at Taft University part of the research team includes engineers, who also test applied aspects of the discoveries.
Recently, an article published in the journal nature communications also shows unique properties of the chromatophores. In the research, which included complex techniques of image processing, biochemistry and the use of antibodies, it was discovered that protein nanostructures within the chromatophores affect the hue of the color (yellow in varying shades, for example), and even cause that when looking at the octopus from different angles different colors are obtained in the same area. These features also contribute greatly to the potential that this mechanism has for developments aimed at camouflage.
Understanding the biological mechanisms of various organisms has helped man in many fields. Among these fields, the study of the camouflage abilities of marine animals is relatively new. This field can lead to developments that are relevant for military and other purposes, thus continuing to expand the roles of biomimicry. Channeling resources to such research areas and continuing collaborations with international research bodies will allow progress in this important field.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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"In addition, when completely blind octopuses are examined, the ability to camouflage does not exist, so the mechanism that allows them to change their color to the colors of the environment is not completely clear, but requires vision through the poor."
Maybe because in order to change the color of the skin, the octopus first needs to know what the environment in which it is in looks like?
beautiful and interesting,
Only it was appropriate to explain the contradiction between:
"When fully blind octopuses are tested, the ability to camouflage does not hold,"
And:
"The samples can continue to function even when they are not attached to the octopus."
? ? ?