Camouflage secrets revealed

Aspiring marine biologist Nick Dunn (Lower Sixth) has pulled off a coup by having his article on cuttlefish published in the specialist magazine UltraMarine.

In his introduction to the February issue, Ultramarine editor Keiran Hart thanked him for his “fascinating” article and wryly observed that its author, then just 16 years old, was “making us feel like old-timers now”.

Nick’s researches began with his entry for the Peter Watson Science Prize at The Leys. His challenge was to ask a scientific question and then answer it.

“I decided to write on cuttlefish camouflage because I had been snorkelling a few times in Tanzania and it was fascinating to watch them change the colour patterns on their skin,” Nick explained.

“I researched on the internet and emailed questions to a leading researcher in the United States. He gave me some pointers and I kept in touch with him as I went along. Then I emailed my article to the magazine to see what they thought of it and they said it was very good and they would like to publish it.”

Nick, who is studying Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Geography, hopes to study Marine Biology at university.