Inspiration from Nature:Insights from Crustacean Chemical Sensors Can Lead to Successful Design of Artificial Chemical Sensors

Abstract

The chemical sensors possessed by crustaceans are aesthetically beautiful and are deployed in many ways, depending on the ecological task being carried out by the animal, the nature of the chemical signal, and the dispersal characteristics of the environment. As many studies have indicated, they are engineering marvels, able to detect very low concentration of odorant molecules under difficult conditions, and also able to respond to evolutionary pressures, so that over time, populations that migrate to different habitats have evolved sensor characteristics that match the features of their new surroundings.