Invisibility: Not a bug, but a feature … from a bug

University researchers estimated that ~25% of Americans suffer from some form of entomophobia, or a fear of insects. But amid the tendency for these creatures to frighten mammals, our six-legged frenemies do, in fact, play an important role in balancing the ecosystem. Pollination and pest control are among their essential jobs.

Pioneering next-generation technology, though, is not typically considered a demand that humankind places on insects.

Perhaps it is time to start.

Taking inspiration from a common backyard insect, researchers at Penn State made a breakthrough that might unlock the ability to create devices that provide a form of invisibility.

Courtesy of iStock.com/Heather Broccard-Bell.

Leafhoppers, the insects of the researchers’ inspiration, naturally secrete and coat themselves in tiny particles with a cavity-ridden, soccer ball-esque geometry called brochosomes. Scientists have known about this phenomenon since the 1950s, although they have yet to decipher what exactly the bugs are doing with it.

In 2017, the same research team behind the current advancement successfully replicated brochosomes in a lab, aiming to better understand their properties. This entailed reducing the light that is directly reflected on the particle by 94%, which marked the first time that the researchers had ever witnessed a naturally produced hollow particle control light in such a way.

Like a flurry of hornets escaping a nest-turned-piñata, team members pondered theory after theory that used the newfound data to explain why leafhoppers were able to create and then cover themselves in brochosomes.

Sheer survival instincts, they determined, were at the root of this mystery.

Specifically, the researchers found that the natural light-reflecting powers of the brochosomes held two advantages. Firstly, the size of the cavities in each particle cause the brochosomes to be efficient absorbers of UV light. This reduces their visibility to birds and reptiles that use the UV spectrum to see. Secondly, the antireflective property of the brochosomes scatters visible light, which creates a matte-colored bug.

The researchers have since identified several proposed applications for this discovery, ranging from the milder and more responsible to the more futuristic and, objectively, more awesome. These include more efficient solar energy harvesting systems, coatings that protect pharmaceuticals from light-induced damage, and advanced sunscreens for improved protection against sun damage.

The application that really ought to bug us out involves the potential for cloaking technology. One day, we all might be able to wear the humble leaf- hopper’s armor to hide among the metaphorical leaves.

That is, if we overcome our fears.

The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (www.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2312700121).