In this week’s episode of the Science Cast podcast, Sónia Cruz, a researcher at CESAM/DBIO, shared her fascinating work on sea slugs that “steal” chloroplasts from algae and manage to keep them functional within their own bodies — a phenomenon known as kleptoplasty.
During the conversation, Sónia Cruz explained how some species of sea slugs from the sacoglossan group incorporate chloroplasts from algae into their own physiology, keeping them active for weeks or even months. These chloroplasts continue to perform photosynthesis inside animal cells, effectively turning the slugs into true “solar-powered animals.”
The researcher also highlighted the goals of the KleptoSlug project, which she leads at the University of Aveiro, aiming to understand the cellular and genetic mechanisms that allow this functional retention of chloroplasts. This work is supported by a grant from the European Research Council (ERC) — recognition that underscores the relevance and innovation of her research.
Sónia Cruz’s participation in Science Cast made an extraordinary example of symbiosis between distinct kingdoms accessible to the general public — a bridge between the animal and plant worlds — and revealed how fundamental research can help us better understand the limits of adaptation and cooperation in nature.
The full episode is available [here].