Jan 29, 2014 02:19 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

A new study of the mechanism that allows the cuttlefish to change colors is expected to help develop protective military camouflage for soldiers in the field.

According to a Harvard news release, researchers with the school's Marine Biology Lab (MBL) have discovered the nanoscopic photon device that drives the camouflage reaction. The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, has revealed new details and possibly the definitive reason behind the cuttlefish's color-changing ability.

"Nature solved the riddle of adaptive camouflage a long time ago," Kevin Kit Parker, a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard, said in the release. "Now the challenge is to reverse-engineer this system in a cost-efficient, synthetic system that is amenable to mass manufacturing."

Known as the "chameleon of the sea," the cuttlefish belongs to the same family (Sepia officinalis) as the squid and octopus. The fish's pigmented organs take visual clues from its surroundings in a reaction controlled neutrally by the cuttlefish. The reaction may be adapted for military camouflage, consumer electronics, paint and cosmetics.

"Chromatophores (pigmented organs) were previously considered to be pigmentary organs that acted simply as selective color filters," study co-author Leila F. Deravi said in the release. "But our results suggest that they play a more complex role; they contain luminescent protein nanostructures that enable the cuttlefish to make quick and elaborate changes in its skin pigmentation."

The cuttlefish controls is color changing with its leucophore, iridophore and chromatophore, three organs that act as optical components. They allow the fish to absorb light from its surroundings and reflect the same color.

"Throughout history, people have dreamed of having an 'invisible suit,'" said Parker, an Army reservist with two Afghanistan tours under his belt. "Nature solved that problem, and now it's up to us to replicate this genius so, like the cuttlefish, we can avoid our predators."

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