Food: Artificial colour-changing material mimics chameleon skin and can detect seafood freshness

An artificial colour-changing material inspired by the skins of chameleons can be used as a chemical sensor to determine whether seafood is fresh, a study found. Developed by experts from China, the device switches from pink to green in the presence of the amine vapours released by microbes when fish and shrimp spoil. The novel material could also find applications in the development of anticounterfeit technology, camouflage for robots and stretchable electronics, the team said. Panther chameleons are colour-changing reptiles native to the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Males of the species -- which are more brightly coloured than their female counterparts and change hue when asserting their dominance -- can grow to around 8 inches (20 cm) in length.