US EditionScientists Mass Produce Octopus Camouflage Pigment
UC San Diego researchers engineered bacteria to produce xanthommatin at up to 1,000 times higher yield, enabling new uses in sunscreens, sensors, and color-changing materials.
- On November 3, 2025, UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography published a Nature Biotechnology study on engineering bacteria to produce the xanthommatin pigment at scale.
- Driven by xanthommatin's color-shifting role in cephalopods, the pigment remained scarce due to low-yield traditional chemical synthesis and animal harvesting methods.
- Using an engineered growth feedback loop, the team started with a genetically engineered 'sick' cell producing xanthommatin and formic acid, then applied robots and high-throughput adaptive laboratory evolution to boost yields up to 1,000 times.
- Industry interest emerged, including from the U.S. Department of Defense and skincare companies exploring natural sunscreens, while mass overproduction opens uses in photoelectronic devices, thermal coatings, and UV protectants.
- The authors argue that this approach unlocks new pathways for designing nature-inspired materials to support 8 billion people on Earth.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Scientists teach bacteria the octopus’s secret to camouflage
Researchers at UC San Diego have figured out how to get bacteria to produce xanthommatin, the pigment that lets octopuses and squids camouflage. By linking the pigment’s production to bacterial survival, they created a self-sustaining system that boosts yields dramatically. This biotechnological leap could revolutionize materials science, cosmetics, and sustainable chemistry.
Octopus and squid pigments enhance sunscreen without harming the environment, researchers say
When Northeastern graduate Camille Martin and associate professor Leila Deravi co-founded Seaspire, a skincare ingredients company inspired by pigment in octopus and squid, their goal was to create a product that is good for your skin and the environment.
It sounds like science fiction: a wall that can spontaneously change to any color you desire. Yet that dream has now come a step closer. Octopuses are known for their impressive camouflage. When they feel threatened, they rapidly change color thanks to pigments in their skin. One of those pigments is xanthommatine. Research into […] More science? Read the latest articles on Scientias.nl .
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