A closer look

Deep in the crushing darkness of the Pacific Ocean, the Venus flower basket sponge builds its skeleton entirely out of biosilica, effectively weaving a cage of glass. These marine architects extract silicic acid from seawater to construct microscopic, layered glass spicules that are vastly more flexible and shatter-resistant than human-made fiber optics. The sponge even uses these translucent silica threads to channel the bioluminescent light of trapped shrimp.