By Aria Bendix

If scientist Roger Hanlon seems a little obsessed with octopuses, it’s because he’s been studying them for the past decade — and he thinks they could hold a key to advancements in fashion, cosmetics, and even medicine.

For years, Hanlon and his team of researchers at the University of Chicago’s Marine Biological Laboratory have been studying the unique capabilities of cephalopods, or marine animals like octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish.

On Tuesday, Hanlon presented his findings at the TED 2019 conference in Vancouver, Canada, where he argued that the skin of these animals might one day teach us how to make camouflage clothes or cosmetics that change color based on the lighting in a room. Read more …