00:00:09
Colors fade on man-made materials00:00:12
00:00:12
—for example, paint and clothing.00:00:17
00:00:17
Yet, for many species of birds this isn’t the case.00:00:22
00:00:22
Their feathers remain permanently bright and vivid.00:00:26
00:00:27
What’s their secret?00:00:29
00:00:30
Researchers00:00:32
00:00:32
examining the feathers of the Eurasian jay00:00:35
00:00:35
discovered that their colors are generated00:00:37
00:00:37
primarily by small changes in feather structure,00:00:40
00:00:40
as opposed to pigment.00:00:42
00:00:42
Surface variations scatter the reflected light,00:00:46
00:00:46
which produces the hues we see.00:00:49
00:00:49
And since this structure doesn’t change with age,00:00:52
00:00:52
the colors never fade.00:00:55
00:00:55
This discovery opens a whole new world00:00:58
00:00:58
of possibilities.00:01:02
00:01:02
Dr. Andrew Parnell states:00:01:04
00:01:04
“If nature can assemble this material ‘on the wing,’00:01:07
00:01:07
then we should be able to do it synthetically.”00:01:10
00:01:10
Researchers are now working to produce00:01:13
00:01:13
materials that mimic this.00:01:15
00:01:15
This could lead to paints that never fade,00:01:17
00:01:17
and perhaps even fabrics that look new00:01:20
00:01:20
and vibrant wash after wash.00:01:23
00:01:23
What do you think?00:01:25
00:01:25
Did the unfading color of bird feathers00:01:28
00:01:28
come about by evolution?00:01:30
00:01:31
Or was it designed?00:01:35
Was It Designed? Bird Colors That Never Fade
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Was It Designed? Bird Colors That Never Fade
Colors fade on man-made materials
—for example, paint and clothing.
Yet, for many species of birds this isn’t the case.
Their feathers remain permanently bright and vivid.
What’s their secret?
Researchers
examining the feathers of the Eurasian jay
discovered that their colors are generated
primarily by small changes in feather structure,
as opposed to pigment.
Surface variations scatter the reflected light,
which produces the hues we see.
And since this structure doesn’t change with age,
the colors never fade.
This discovery opens a whole new world
of possibilities.
Dr. Andrew Parnell states:
“If nature can assemble this material ‘on the wing,’
then we should be able to do it synthetically.”
Researchers are now working to produce
materials that mimic this.
This could lead to paints that never fade,
and perhaps even fabrics that look new
and vibrant wash after wash.
What do you think?
Did the unfading color of bird feathers
come about by evolution?
Or was it designed?
-