Clams use fiber optics to channel sunlight to symbiotic algae

Elie Dolgin • November 19, 2024

The first example of fiber optics in nature could light the way for internet innovation.

In a discovery that blurs the line between biology and technology, scientists have found that heart-shaped clams use fiber optic–like structures to channel sunlight through their shells in much the same way that telecommunications company use fiber optics to deliver high-speed internet connectivity into homes.


Continue reading at Science News.

By Elie Dolgin June 11, 2026
Enhanced cryo–electron microscopy promises to bring previously elusive proteins into view.
By Elie Dolgin April 30, 2026
AI-guided redesign of protein alphabet in bacteria could unlock new ways to build synthetic organisms.