By The Clinic
July 17, 2020
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These animals managed to absorb more than 99.5% of the light that hit their surfaces, making them almost invisible.
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A team of scientists led by research zoologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Karen Osborn, and Duke University biologist Sönke Johnsen discovered a particular secret of the “ultra black” fish that inhabit the depths of the ocean.
In an article published in the journal Current Biology, scientists detail that the skin of this group of deep-sea fish is the blackest material on record, this as they absorb light making them almost imperceptible even when illuminated.
In a release, explain how a “Unique arrangement of pigment-filled granules allows some fish to absorb almost all the light hitting their skin, so that only 0.05% of that light is reflected”. This discovery would be essential to “develop less expensive, flexible and more durable ultra black materials for use in optical technology, such as telescopes and cameras, and for camouflage. “
Careful measurements in the laboratory confirmed why the cameras could not capture its characteristics: many of the black fish found in the deep sea absorbed more than 99.5% of the light that hit their surfaces. That means they are ultra black: blacker than black paper, blacker than electrical tape, blacker than a new tire. And in the deep, dark sea, where a single photon of light is enough to attract attention, that intense blackness can improve a fish’s chances of survival, “they conclude.
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