Iridescent Beetle Wings (Dr Sébastien Mouchet, University of Exeter – Physics – Natural Photonics group)

“These are scales covering the wings (called elytra) of the Brazilian diamond beetle. They display bright iridescent colours due to light interference within optical structures (photonic polycrystals) embedded in the scales.”

– This stunning photo is a great example of the research in natural photonics carried out at the University into structural colour (colour that doesn’t originate from pigments). Another beautiful + functional result of evolution that we can take design inspiration from – we could build different versions of these structured materials, to make beautiful colours without all the chemicals!