News Animals

Tiny crystals give a plain fish twinkling, colorful dots under light

Puzzling fish twinkles from wide-banded hardyhead silversides might lead to ultra-tiny sensors

scores of small silver fish swimming

You don't see it from a distance, but the white backs of hardyhead silverside fish (seen here swimming in the Red Sea) can twinkle with tiny flashing blue and yellow dots.

Georgette Douwma/Science Source

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

As light shines steadily on a silver slip of a fish, minuscule dots on the fish start flashing: blue, yellow, blue, yellow.