Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25716102›Full record

ArticleNature communications2015

A highly conspicuous mineralized composite photonic architecture in the translucent shell of the blue-rayed limpet.

Ling Li, Stefan Kolle, James C Weaver, Christine Ortiz, Joanna Aizenberg, Mathias Kolle

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 95 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Nudibranch color diversity shares a common physical basis in guanine photonic structure 'pixels'.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. The genome sequence of the blue-rayed limpet,Wellcome open research · 2022
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Microstructural design for mechanical-optical multifunctionality in the exoskeleton of the flower beetleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2021
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Core-shell nanospheres behind the blue eyes of the bay scallopJournal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2019
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Genetic manipulation of structural color in bacterial colonies.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2018
    Article
  16. Optically functional isoxanthopterin crystals in the mirrored eyes of decapod crustaceans.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2018
    Article
  17. Structural origins of coloration in the spiderJournal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2018
    Article
  18. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ling LiDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Stefan Kolle1] Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, 60 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA [2] School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 9 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
James C WeaverWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, 60 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Christine OrtizDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Joanna Aizenberg1] Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, 60 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA [2] School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 9 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA [3] Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology at Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Mathias KolleDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Harvard University · USMassachusetts Institute of Technology · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many species rely on diverse selections of entirely organic photonic structures for the manipulation of light and the display of striking colours. Here we report the discovery of a mineralized hierarchical photonic architecture embedded within the translucent shell of the blue-rayed limpet Patella pellucida. The bright colour of the limpet's stripes originates from light interference in a periodically layered zig-zag architecture of crystallographically co-oriented calcite lamellae. Beneath the photonic multilayer, a disordered array of light-absorbing particles provides contrast for the blue colour. This unique mineralized manifestation of a synergy of two distinct optical elements at specific locations within the continuum of the limpet's translucent protective shell ensures the vivid shine of the blue stripes, which can be perceived under water from a wide range of viewing angles. The stripes' reflection band coincides with the spectral range of minimal light absorption in sea water, raising intriguing questions regarding their functional significance.

Indexed as

Optical PhenomenaAnimalsAnimal ShellsColorGastropodaMicroscopy, Electron, ScanningMicroscopy, Electron, Transmission

Identifiers

PMID25716102
PMCPMC4351589
OpenAlexW1982594436

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.