Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 10 minutes ago

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Scientists have moved one step closer to unlocking a superpower held by some of nature’s greatest “masters of disguise.” 🐙

In a new study, a team led by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography describes a new way to produce large amounts of xanthommatin — a natural pigment used in animal camouflage — in a bacterium for the first time. Xanthommatin is the natural chemical compound used by octopus, squid and other cephalopods to change the color of their skin.

Using an innovative, nature-based approach, Distinguished Professor Bradley Moore and his lab have been able to produce up to 1,000 times more xanthommatin material compared to traditional methods. Their breakthrough opens new possibilities for the pigment’s use in a wide range of materials and cosmetics — from photoelectronic devices and thermal coatings to dyes and UV protectants.

Dive into this discovery: https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/scientists-produce-powerhouse-pigment-behind-octopus-camouflage

#Octopus #Biotechnology #Camouflage #BehindEveryBreakthrough