香港城市大学吕坚等人的最新研究揭示了棘皮动物的立体梯度结构使机械电感知成为可能。相关论文于2026年2月25日发表在《自然》杂志上。

本研究表明，棘皮动物体（如海胆脊柱）中的生物矿化细胞固体具有意想不到的机械电感知，其响应电位和响应时间都比棘皮动物视觉大一到三个数量级。这种特殊的感知源于沿[001]脊柱轴的梯度细胞固体（具有不同的空隙或固相直径），在液体流动过程中在立体表面产生不同的电荷密度。受这种自然智慧的启发，课题组研究人员创造了以三维打印技术为主题的人造脊柱状结构，其输出电压比无梯度样品高3倍，振幅差比无梯度样品高8倍，以及一种受自然启发的超材料机械感受器，能够在水下进行时间分辨的自我监测信息。他们的发现促进了对负载敏感的仿生细胞固体（如木材，海绵和小梁骨）的理解，具有开发水下时空传感和水阻力利用的功能梯度细胞材料的潜力。

研究人员表示，细胞固体普遍存在于自然系统中，对生物体至关重要。它们独特的光滑分支和节点形态通常被视为增强机械性能的适应性。探索替代进化功能可以丰富对细胞固体的理解，但它经常被忽视。

附：英文原文

Title: Echinoderm stereom gradient structures enable mechanoelectrical perception

Author: Chen, Annan, Wang, Ziqin, Guan, Zhizi, Wu, Jiajun, Shi, Qi Wei, Wang, Senlin, Shi, Yusheng, Su, Bin, Yan, Chunze, Wang, Zuankai, Lu, Jian

Issue&Volume: 2026-02-25

Abstract: Cellular solids ubiquitously exist in natural systems and are crucial for living organisms1,2. Their unique smooth branch and node morphologies are often seen as adaptations for enhanced mechanical performance3,4. Exploring alternative evolutionary functions can enrich the understanding of cellular solids, but it is frequently neglected. Here we show that the biomineralized cellular solids in echinoderm stereom (for example, sea urchin spine) have unexpected mechanoelectrical perception with response potential and response time, both of which are one to three orders of magnitude greater than those of echinoderm vision5. This exceptional perception originates from the gradient cellular solids (with varying void- or solid-phase diameters) along the [001] spine axis, generating a differential charge density across the stereom surface during liquid flow. Inspired by this natural wisdom, we create artificial spine-like structures using three-dimensional printing technology that exhibit three-fold higher voltage output and eight-fold greater amplitude differential than gradient-free samples, as well as a nature-inspired metamaterial mechanoreceptor capable of time-resolved self-monitoring information underwater. Our findings advance the understanding of load-sensitive biomimetic cellular solids (such as wood, sponge and trabecular bone), with the potential to develop functional gradient cellular materials towards underwater spatiotemporal sensing and water resource utilization.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10164-9

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10164-9