If squids can turn transparent, why do they bother with all the colors and camouflage? Maybe it’s just because they want to show off
There was an attempt
Submitted 11 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/3af5bbf8-bc46-4639-bc5f-bd71d4475b9d.jpeg
Comments
imaqtpie@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
FooBarrington@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Transparent can still be more visible than good camouflage. Just look at how well they can imitate rocks and similar debris: youtu.be/q8xJ13pAZNw
AeroLemming@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Holy hell. So I guess cloaking technology already exists, it’s just that the octopuses got to it first.
octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 11 months ago
Maybe transparent is maximum effort? (I have no idea, I’m just guessing.)
moody@lemmings.world 11 months ago
They typically can’t. Scientists genetically engineered some squids to have transparent skin, and since their innards and blood are basically already transparent, this is the result.
I don’t know if these genetically modified squids can still change colors though.
RealFknNito@lemmy.world 11 months ago
fossilesque@mander.xyz 11 months ago
The hero we deserve.
Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I had a cat a while back that was in heat when I first got her. She spent pretty much that whole week running from the front to the back of the apartment and back to the front, looking for a male. She was a poor horny cat.
Please_Do_Not@lemm.ee 11 months ago
What about their blood and organs and anything it had recently eaten? How does 100% of it turn transparent
MelastSB@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Nanomachines, son
gregorum@lemm.ee 11 months ago
the scientists have inadvertently discovered that this squid is also a witch
thefartographer@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Impossible. It’s under water, which means that it weighs more than a duck.
Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 11 months ago
It’s a Squitch!
Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Not even humans have yet figured out how to reproduce a Colorchecker Passport.
ieatpwns@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I see Paul is up to his usual shenanigans again
Skua@kbin.social 11 months ago
Actual explanation: these squid are transparent normally, but can turn on a dark pigmentation when that is a more effective camouflage. Being transparent works quite well most of the time, but if the predator has its own light source (as several deep-sea predators do) then their transparent state becomes a problem, because it's relatively reflective compared to the water around them. In this situation, turning on the dark pigment helps them blend in with the dark water better.
Source: Zylinski and Johnsen "Mesopelagic Cephalopods Switch between Transparency and Pigmentation to Optimize Camouflage in the Deep"
can@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Fixed link. PDF
andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Connect app: a blank page both times
Mobile FF: a pdf both times
Seems like my app just can’t render files.
hessenjunge@discuss.tchncs.de 11 months ago
Voyager/iOS has no issue with any of the link formats.
Skua@kbin.social 11 months ago
Huh, not sure what's going on there. It looks fine on my instance obviously, but it seems fine on yours and the post's in the browser at least. Then again kbin seems to be particularly janky with links in particular. Thanks for making a version everyone can see