Gone Fishing

The lookdown fish - named for its downward gaze - is a master at hiding in plain sight. Its skin manipulates polarized light, allowing the fish to remain mostly undetected by predators in its brightly lit Atlantic coastal habitat. The adaptation may prove useful for warfare too. The U.S. Navy requested research this year on whether the properties of the lookdown’s skin may be mimicked on ships and submarines. Painting hulls with reflective paint, says biologist Molly Cummings, may boost underwater camouflage.

 

Keen on Quinoa

Quinoa’s reputation is blossoming. The seed of a goosefoot species that originated In Peru and Bolivia around Lake Titicaca, its been a staple of Andean cuisine for millennia. Over the past decade other cultures have developed a taste for it too. Since 2007 U.S. imports have risen from 7 million to more than 70 million pounds a year. This growing appetite is affecting South America. Farmers are struggling to meet demand, and some urban populations can’t afford the resulting price increases. To cash in on the crop’s popularity, countries on other continents have begun moving from consumer to cultivator. There are now quinoa farms in 56 countries, including France, Thailand, Australia and the U.S. Quinoa is also being grown in Africa, where the U.N. hopes its high protein content will help fight hunger. The long-term objective is diversity. says Kevin Murphy, a plant breeder at Washington State University. “There are hundreds of varieties of quinoa, and our goal Is to develop the ideal one for different climates.” For now most retail stores In the U.S. remain stocked with Andean quinoa.