To build better fiber optic cables, ask a claim. Duke Today, Dec. 2, 2024. Since the first fiber optic cables rolled out in the 1970s, they’ve become a major part of everything from medical devices to high-speed internet and cable TV. But as it turns out, one group of marine mollusks was way ahead of us. A new study reveals that clams called heart cockles have unique structures in their shells that act like fiber optic cables to convey specific wavelengths of light into the bivalves’ tissues. Picked up by Tech Explorist, Interesting Engineering