The project involves genetically engineering human cells to have the ability to vary their transparency.

What the researchers did in this latest piece of work was to take embryonic human kidney cells and grow them in a dish using a special technique to create the same protein found in color and transparency-shifting squid.

“We genetically engineered human cells to produce a squid protein called reflectin,” Alon Gorodetsky, a researcher in chemical engineering and material science at UC Irvine, told Digital Trends.

“The protein formed particles within the cells, which we visualized with various types of microscopy.