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Article: Fiber-optic wonder.(Animal Angles)
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- November 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Joanna Aizenberg, a scientist and one of Earth's most complex multicellular animals, entered a San Francisco store and encountered the elegant remains of Euplectdla speciosa--a deep-sea sponge and one of Earth's simplest multicellular animals. Scientist and sponge might one day revolutionize fiber optic cables, the thread weaving together our wired world.
Fiber optic cables are basically bundled strands of optical fibers--filaments of glass and reflective cladding that transmit coded light. These fibers are crafted under high heat using expensive equipment. Although the fibers are very flexible, the cladding is not. this makes the ...