this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2026
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[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

So I remember hearing that animals can't really produce blue pigment and all the blue animals are blue due to physical tricks causing light of different wavelengths to get dispersed leaving only blue. Is this the same here?

[–] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

In animals such as on the feathers of birds and the scales of butterflies, interference is created by a range of photonic mechanisms, including diffraction gratings, selective mirrors, photonic crystals, crystal fibres, matrices of nanochannels and proteins that can vary their configuration. Some cuts of meat also show structural coloration due to the exposure of the periodic arrangement of the muscular fibres. Many of these photonic mechanisms correspond to elaborate structures visible by electron microscopy. In the few plants that exploit structural coloration, brilliant colours are produced by structures within cells. The most brilliant blue coloration known in any living tissue is found in the marble berries of Pollia condensata, where a spiral structure of cellulose fibrils produces Bragg's law scattering of light. The bright gloss of buttercups is produced by thin-film reflection by the epidermis supplemented by yellow pigmentation, and strong diffuse scattering by a layer of starch cells immediately beneath.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_coloration

Straight-up blue pigment is rare, but it does exist. Here's a list of those critters [cancer warning]: https://www.colorwithleo.com/what-animal-has-a-true-blue-pigment/

[–] Johanno@feddit.org 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ok I don't know anything about that, but what is blue pigment other than a particle that asorbs all colors except blue?

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Basically this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g246c6Bv58

The guy says he only knows one butterfly that evolved blue pigment so I'm guessing this fish is also blue because of some weird trick.

[–] Johanno@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago

Oh ok. So the pigment is not a mirror like blue?

I remember sth. About a white flower that works similar where it self is on the atomic level shaped so that it seems white, but actually isn't...

For me blue is blue, because it's blue.