Squid Share a Colorful Trick With Peacocks

Sunday Ladas

Mr. Ippolito

AP Biology C-EVEN

19 March 2019

Greenwood, Veronique. “Squid Share a Colorful Trick With

Peacocks.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Mar.

2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/07/science/squid-camouflage-colors.html.

Squid Share a Colorful Trick With Peacocks

By: Veronique Greenwood

Scientists have recently named squids the chameleons of the ocean after lots of strenuous studies. Scientists have studied the peculiar structures in the squids skin that interact with light, trying to understand how the animals change color so swiftly and with such precision. A recent study suggests that squid are chromatophores, they were originally thought to be animals with pigment embedded in their skin, are also equipped with tiny reflectors made of proteins. Researchers believe that the source for this color pigments are from a protein called reflectin. To test this protein to ensure their findings. They found that Light strikes arrays of reflectin, bounces around and refracts out, producing colors. Scientists also found that the squid control the movement of the reflectin that is on the outside of the chromatophores. They also found that is the the same movements that control the opening and closing of the structure’s mouth, manipulating both kinds of color simultaneously.

Discovering the protein in the squid called reflectin and how they have evolved over time is a major discovery that still has a long way to develop with many unanswered questions. We already have little bits and pieces of the puzzle and are close to figuring out the sources for the reflectin protein to so quickly become activated in a squid and how the squid controls it. From the squid protein that scientists have discovered that have evolved they have been shocking discoveries, and the continuous discovered is just a reminder of the evolution in the world. Everything evolve, maybe humans will evolve even more, how will the chromatophores of the squid develop in 400 million years from now?

I thought that this article was constructed in a exceptional manor, I feel that the author made very good points and the authors tone showed the point of view she favoured. It was evident that the author was interested and really liked the topic he was writing about. However, I felt that Veronique Greenwood (the author) could have done a better job looking out the other side of this topic, I felt that he just continued to state how amazing the discovery was and there was nothing to refute it the point or a lot more evidence to back up her argument. Lastly, I thought that he could have included more information about how the new pieces of evidence that has been discovered rather than just touching on a few pieces with not explanation.  Overall, I felt this piece was very well written, however, it could have been looking at the other side of the argument.