The brittlestar, a starfish-like marine invertebrate, is able to “see” light and shadows with crystal lenses in its skeleton. This is the result of research by Professor Lia Adadi, Dean of the Weizmann Institute\'s Chemistry Faculty, Professor Steve Weiner of the Institute\'s Structural Biology Department, and graduate student Joanna Aizenberg. This unique system of detecting light is the first of its kind to be discovered in currently existing animals.
During their research into the formation of animal skeletal structures, the three were introduced to the brittlestar and its ability to detect shadows and escape predators without the use of specialized eyes.
The Weizmann Institute scientists decided to examine the possibility that the animal\'s unique skeletal crystal spheres transmit light and heat to its nervous system. Using a semiconductor technology called lithography, they discovered that the brittlestar’s crystalline lenses, in conjunction with pigmented cells, act as “corrective glasses” by filtering and focusing light on the brittlestar’s photoreceptors. The discovery \"provides new ideas for the fabrication of \'smart\' materials,\" concluded the Weizmann scientists.
During their research into the formation of animal skeletal structures, the three were introduced to the brittlestar and its ability to detect shadows and escape predators without the use of specialized eyes.
The Weizmann Institute scientists decided to examine the possibility that the animal\'s unique skeletal crystal spheres transmit light and heat to its nervous system. Using a semiconductor technology called lithography, they discovered that the brittlestar’s crystalline lenses, in conjunction with pigmented cells, act as “corrective glasses” by filtering and focusing light on the brittlestar’s photoreceptors. The discovery \"provides new ideas for the fabrication of \'smart\' materials,\" concluded the Weizmann scientists.