X-rays reveal the photonic crystals in butterfly wings that create color
Monday, June 13, 2016 - 17:01
in Physics & Chemistry
When you look very close up at a butterfly wing, you can see this patchwork map of lattices with slightly different orientations (colors added to illustrate the domains). Scientists used X-rays to discover what creates one butterfly effect: how the microscopic structures on the insect's wings reflect light to appear as brilliant colors to the eye.