Butterfly wings can do remarkable things with light, and
humans are still trying to learn from them. Physicists have now uncovered how
subtle differences in the tiny crystals of butterfly wings create stunningly
varied patterns of color even among closely related species. The discovery,
reported today in the Optical Society’s (OSA) open-access journal Optical
Materials Express, could lead to new coatings for manufactured materials that
could change color by design, if researchers can figure out how to replicate
the wings’ light-manipulating properties.