Nature Photon. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.189 (2009)

Polarized light is used in optical devices, including some microscopes. Being able to control polarized light is key. Materials such as crystals can do the job, but only within a limited range of wavelengths.

Nicholas Roberts of the University of Bristol, UK, and his colleagues have worked out how a species of mantis shrimp can switch polarized light from one form to another over a range of colours. A thin band of specialized receptor cells in the eyes of Odontodactylus scyllarus have just the right structure, dimensions and composition to enable them to control polarization over most of the visible spectrum. The team believes that further study of this mantis shrimp's eyes could lead to better optical devices.