Fibre-optical features of a glass sponge

摘要

Modern technology cannot yet compete with some of the sophisticated optical systems possessed by biological organisms. Here we show that the spicules of the deep-sea 'glass' sponge Euplectella have remarkable fibre-optical properties, which are surprisingly similar to those of commercial telecommunication fibres―except that the spicules themselves are formed under normal ambient conditions and have some technological advantages over man-made versions. The skeleton of the hexactinellid class of sponges is constructed from amorphous, hydrated silica. Euplectella builds an intricate cage (Fig. la), which typically houses a mating pair of shrimp (hence its nickname, 'Venus flower-basket') and is composed of a lattice of fused spiculesthat provide extended structural support.