MBL Falmouth Forum: “The Octopus as Tech: Exploring the Science, Art, and Technological Potential of Nature’s Most Spectacular Color Change Artist” – Roger Hanlon, Senior Scientist, MBL

For more than 30 years, the Falmouth Forum, presented by the Friends of the MBL, has brought free cultural enrichment to our community. This season will feature captivating speakers that will deliver powerful talks with a wide range of subjects. Lectures are free and open to the public for in-person and virtual attendance. Free parking is available in any MBL lot. No registration required for in-person attendance. Doors open at 7:00 PM, lectures start at 7:30 PM.

Lecture Abstract: Cephalopods (octopus, squid, and cuttlefish) exhibit the fastest color changes known on Earth, a capability made possible by direct neural control of their skin’s color, pattern, and 3-D texture. This presentation will take you on a diving extravaganza, showcasing the beauty of ocean habitats and how we gather naturalistic data on animal behavior. Hanlon will briefly review the sensory capabilities of cephalopods, then focus on their visual perception of natural backgrounds, which guides their dynamic camouflage and signaling. This process, often executed in less than a second, is highly effective even in complex environments like coral reefs.

Hanlon will also describe how the cephalopod brain translates sensory input into motor output, creating precise body patterns for camouflage and communication. The emphasis will shift to the neurophysiology of skin chromatophores and iridophores. Hanlon will share insights from his team’s collaborations with the art community—particularly the Rhode Island School of Design—as they explore the nature of color and pattern. Finally, he will present recent advancements in bio-inspired materials and engineering, which mimic cephalopods’ rapid color pattern changes for various practical applications.

Roger Hanlon is a leading expert on cephalopod behavior, especially their camouflage abilities, which are unmatched in the animal kingdom. He is a diving biologist — he and his collaborators conduct field studies of cephalopods in several parts of the world’s oceans, as well as a wide range of laboratory experimentation to quantify field observations, including their mechanisms of visual perception and sensory integration as well as the functional morphology of the complex skin that produces the changeable body patterns. Hanlon’s laboratory is highly collaborative and works at multiple levels of integration: from molecules to behavior to whole organisms (the lab’s primary focus) to ec