Market squid are known in California as the state’s largest fishery and as the basis for those little fried calamari rings.

[R]esearch in the Journal of Experimental Biology shows that they may also have something to offer the engineering sector: skin cells that can switch between transparent and white. Humans could use these cells to develop new bio-inspired materials.

Danny DeMartini, lead author of the study, started out working on a kind of cell called an iridocyte. As the name implies, these cells produce iridescent colors, like beetle wings or a peacock tail. But squid iridocytes are adaptive – unlike other animals, the squid can actively control their hue and brightness.

Military applications are particularly obvious, and indeed, DeMartini’s work is funded by a Navy grant, though he says, “I don’t think we’re going to be stapling squid skin to soldiers anytime soon.”

Via KQED Science.