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“As far as we know, there is no reason or advantage to having different colored separate cells compared to individual cells with multiple colors in them,” Ghoshal said. “It is possible that one species has the genetic tools for one configuration and the other species has the tools to make the other configuration, but we don’t know that yet.”
The scientists studied the clams using a combination of microscopy and spectroscopy in order to precisely measure the color and amount of reflected light coming from individual cells. With this information, they could figure out whether a region that appeared bright white resulted from a few highly reflective cells or a great number of less reflective cells. To accomplish spectroscopic analysis at cellular and subcellular scales, they used a high-resolution microspectrophotometer constructed for their previous study of reflective structures in squid skin cells.
“It is difficult to acquire individual spectra from a small cell that shows multiple reflective colors,” Ghoshal said. “It took a lot of patience and trying different approaches.”
In addition, the team is investigating how the iridescent cells of giant clams interact with their algal partners to enhance photosynthesis. “Like solar cells, photosynthesis involves converting light into energy,” Ghoshal explained. “As we expand our understanding of the clams’ system for light collection, we can take lessons from it to create solar cells that more efficiently convert light to energy.”
Ghoshal and Morse are now collaborating with UCSB chemistry and materials professor Guillermo Bazan to design and test solar cells with structures similar to those found in the clams. They seek to determine whether it is possible to increase the efficiency of synthetic solar cells.
“If we could use what we learned from the clams to build a very efficient, distributed light-gathering system, then we could use that to make more efficient three-dimensional solar cells that require less area than our present rooftop and land-based solar farms,” Ghoshal said.
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