Nature is a treasure trove of disguise masters, from the color-shifting chameleon to the snow-white Arctic hare. Camouflage is a survival superpower in the wild, but one creature stands out for its extraordinary abilities: the octopus. Alongside its cephalopod relatives—squid and cuttlefish—the octopus has perfected the art of camouflage. It has evolved techniques that have allowed it to thrive since the age of the dinosaurs. Yet, despite their incredible skills, scientists are still unraveling the mysteries of how these creatures achieve such feats.
Leila Deravi is an associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern University. Her groundbreaking research is shedding new light on the octopus’s camouflage mechanisms. Her latest study, published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, reveals how octopuses use specialized organs. These organs function like organic solar cells to power their color-changing abilities. This discovery not only deepens our understanding of these “supercharged animals” but also has the potential to revolutionize human technology.
The Science Behind Octopus Camouflage
Deravi’s fascination with cephalopods, particularly octopuses, has driven her research for years. Her Northeastern Biomaterials Design Lab focuses on decoding the natural mechanisms these animals use to create innovative biomaterials. Recently, her team zeroed in on chromatophores—pigment-filled organs scattered across an octopus’s skin.
Chromatophores are surrounded by muscle fibers. Neurons are also present. These allow the octopus to expand or contract the pigment sacs in response to its environment. Iridophores act like photographic filters. They combine with chromatophores to add blues and greens. These colors are mixed with reds, yellows, and browns. Octopuses can change their color in mere milliseconds. They can distribute these changes across their entire body.
“Imagine having something that senses the colors around it. It then redistributes them across your body in hundreds of milliseconds. It’s mind-blowing,” says Deravi.
Chromatophores: More Than Just Pigments
While chromatophores were previously understood as simple pigment cells, Deravi’s research reveals they are far more complex. Her team discovered that chromatophores also function as light sensors, converting environmental light into energy. This energy is then harnessed to power the octopus’s camouflage system.
To test this theory, Deravi and her team constructed a solar cell inspired by octopus chromatophores. Using conductive glass, semiconductors, electrolytes, and pigmented nanoparticles extracted from chromatophores, they created a device that simulated sunlight. When exposed to light, the device generated energy, proving that chromatophores can convert light into usable power.
“The more pigment granules we added, the higher the photoelectric response,” Deravi explains. “This directly indicates that chromatophores convert light into energy, which could potentially be harvested to power the animal’s camouflage.”
Implications for Human Technology
This discovery is groundbreaking. This is the first time researchers have directly linked cephalopod chromatophores with their ability to generate electrical energy. The implications are vast, particularly in fields like wearable electronics, where energy efficiency, size, and weight are critical concerns.
Deravi’s lab is already applying these findings to develop innovative technologies. For example, her team has designed wearable UV sensors. These sensors help prevent skin cancer. They have also created environmentally friendly sunscreens through her startup, Straightforward.
What’s particularly remarkable, Deravi notes, is the efficiency of the octopus’s biological system. These creatures can change color and distribute these changes across their bodies while underwater, using minimal energy. Understanding this process could lead to the development of “living digital skin.” This skin would be fully interactive and energy-efficient. It would seamlessly integrate with its surroundings.
“If we want to create truly wearable devices, we need to think about how to make them more adaptive. They should also be interactive with the environment,” Deravi says. “We’re trying to connect the blueprint animals use to achieve this and apply it to human technology.”
A Glimpse into the Future
Deravi’s research is a testament to the power of biomimicry—drawing inspiration from nature to solve human challenges. As we continue to uncover the secrets of cephalopod camouflage, the potential applications are limitless. These range from advanced wearable electronics to sustainable energy solutions.
Credit: Pascal Ingelrest from Pexels
Nature is full of disguise masters. From the chameleon to the Arctic hare, the natural camouflage is a common, but in a strong way to survive in the wild. But one animal could surprise you with your camouflage abilities: Octopus.
Squida, which is able to change the color in the blink of the eye, along with their Cefalopod relatives Octopi and Sepia, used its natural camouflage to survive from the age of dinosaurs. But scientists still know very little about how it all works.
Leila Draavi aims to change it.
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Northeastern University, a recently published DOVI DOVI in Journal of Materials Chemistry C It casts new light on how octopus uses organs that basically function as organic solar cells to help power their camouflage skills. Draavi says it is a breakthrough in how people understand these “super charged animals” that could affect how we humans interact with the world.
The deravi has long been fascinated by puzzles, especially octopus. Her Northeastern biomaterial design group focuses on exploring how these animals are massive to use these natural mechanisms to create new biomaterials.
Recently, her laboratory has looked at one particular part of the octopus – chromatophores – a place where the latest discovery was created.
Chromatophores are pigmented organs sitting all over the skin of the octopus. They have muscle fibers on the outside that are full of neurons, allowing an animal to open and control these pigment bags on the basis of what is in their environment.
Along with iridofors that act as a type of photographic filter, they add green and blues to red chromatophors, yellow and brown, giving the octopus the ability to change color to hundreds of milliseconds and distribute color throughout the body.
“Do you want to have something to feel the colors around him and distribute [them] He is really crazy about hundreds of milliseconds, “says Draavi.
Process of production and characterization for DSSC based on chromatofor. Credit: Journal of Materials Chemistry C (2025). DOI: 10.1039/D4TC04333B
It is generally understood that chromatophores are a type of dye that work similarly to pixels in the TV display, but deravi found that they are much more. Her latest research shows that chromatofors are bright sensors that help the supply octopus and their natural camouflage.
“He sees what is on the outside of any light, and convert this light into energy and then reap this energy to help distribute camouflage,” Draavi says.
To test this idea, the deravi and its team built a solar article powered by an octopus. They used conductive glass, semiconductors, electrolytes and pigmented nanoparticles of chromatofors taken from the autopsy octopus to create a perimeter. By focusing the sun simulated light on the glass, the perimeter activated and measured how much energy it releases.
“We have found that the more granules you put, the higher the photo published answer,” says Draavi. “It is a direct indication that pieces of chromatofor actually convert light from the simulated light of the sun to tension, which can complete the perimeter and then potentially harvested for supplying an animal.”
The discovery is for the first time when someone has created a connection between chromatophores in cefalopod and their ability to generate current.
Uncovering the secrets of how a number of cephalopod camouflage has a number of applications for people. The Dravi Laboratory has already used its findings to design wearable UV sensors, which can help prevent skin cancer and produce more environmental sunscreen and for man, as it did with its startup, straightforward.
Especially remarkable, he says, how effective this biological system is. Squid is able to change color and distribute this change throughout their body while underwater, using very small energy.
Understanding more about how octopus uses their organic solar cells could help a growing field, such as wearable electronics, where the size, weight and energy distribution are constant concerns. Octopus can be the key to the development of truly “live digital leather”, he says.
“If you are thinking about fully wearable things, just think about how to do it mostly more favorable to be fully interactive with the surroundings,” Draavi says. “We are trying to connect to what the plan is, which animal uses to do it, and how it correlates it with the environment.”
More information:
Taehwan Kim et al., Cefalopod Chromatophore Journal of Materials Chemistry C (2025). DOI: 10.1039/D4TC04333B
Provides Northeastern University
This story is again published with the kind permission of Northeastern Global News.northeastern.edu.
Citation: Octopus are some of the best camouers of nature. Scientists have a new explanation of why (2025, 6 March) acquired on March 6, 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-03-squid-ature-camouflagers-explanation.html
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