They gave human cells squid-like active camouflage.
. Specifically, they engineered the human cells to produce a squid protein known as reflectin, which scatters light to create a sense of transparency or iridescence.gives scientists a new avenue to explore how the underlying genetics actually works.It would be fascinating to see this research pave the way to gene-hacked humans with invisibility powers — but sadly that's not what this research is about.
"Through quantitative phase microscopy, we were able to determine that the protein structures had different optical characteristics when compared to the cytoplasm inside the cells," Irvine researcher Alon Gorodetsky told, "in other words, they optically behaved almost as they do in their native cephalopod leucophores."