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  • Meet Aristostomias scintillans, a species of fish that lives in the deep, dark waters

  • hundreds of meters beneath the Pacific.

  • It's occasionally called theshiny loosejaw”, because sometimes when you name a thing, you

  • just call them like you see them.

  • This animal is part of the dragonfish family, and like most of its relatives, it's a creepy-looking

  • thing with a disproportionately huge jaw; long, pointy teeth; and a bioluminescent barble

  • for attracting prey.

  • But of all the dragonfish, which are wonderful, this one is special.

  • It's tiny, usually only about fifteen centimeters long, but it's also a fierce hunter with

  • an amazing adaptation.

  • To catch prey, the fish has fangsthat are transparent.

  • Most animals' teeth are, this probably won't be surprising, not transparent.

  • Vertebrate teeth are typically hard, calcified structures in the mouth, and although they're

  • not quite the same, they tend to look pretty similar to bone.

  • They have an inner layer of what's called dentin, and an outer, hard layer called enamel.

  • And they look opaque because they reflect, absorb, or scatter most light.

  • This dragonfish has a much more unique situation, because its tooth composition is very different

  • from what we see elsewhere.

  • Both the enamel and the dentin are made of unique mineral matrices containing nano-scale

  • crystal rods; basically, very tiny crystals.

  • They're even smaller than the wavelengths of light that normally hit them, which means

  • they scatter barely any light.

  • Instead, the light can go right through their teeth.

  • Additionally, these teeth also don't have dentin tubules.

  • These are little channels that run through our teeth, and they're a major place where

  • light gets scattered.

  • So not having them helps this dragonfish keep its mouth crystal clear.

  • This is all super cool, but there's still a pretty big question here: What's the point

  • of having clear teeth?

  • Seems like they're working pretty hard for this, so why?

  • Well, that comes down to the dragonfish's hunting style.

  • These things swim around with their mouths open, and when some unsuspecting prey gets

  • too close, their mouths snap shut like traps.

  • So the point of this fish's transparent teeth is to make its maw virtually undetectable

  • to prey by not reflecting any of the dim light in the deep ocean.

  • Combined with the dark color of its body, this gives the species a unique level of stealth

  • as it hunts.

  • This fish is really cool in its own right, but there's actually something beyond just

  • thewowfactor here.

  • Because researchers are also hoping to use this animal as inspiration for advancing materials

  • science.

  • Engineers aim to copy the nanostructure of these teeth to make transparent ceramics,

  • which could be used for super-strong armored windows, laser housings, and other tech.

  • This is just one example of biomimicry, a field of engineering that aims to adapt the

  • awesomeness of nature into useful technology.

  • Biomimicry has led to better bullet trains based on bird beak shape, more sustainable

  • building ventilation based on termite mounds, and much, much more.

  • So I guess, like, never be afraid to look a gift dragonfish in the mouth!

  • Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow!

  • If you have any jaw-dropping facts you think we should turn into an episode, feel free

  • to leave us a comment!

  • We're always on the lookout for new, amazing ideas.

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