Defects on Purpose Make Butterfly Wings Shine

Illustra Media's film Metamorphosis: The Beauty and Design of Butterflies showcased many dazzling butterfly wings, but didn't have time to discuss the secrets behind those colors. Scientists have long identified the source of the colors as not coming from pigments, but from light interference patterns at the nanoscale. A regularly repeating 3-D structure called a "photonic crystal" reinforces some colors and interferes with others. That's how the dazzling blue of a Morpho butterfly is produc...