Bluespotted ribbontail ray. A study on bluespotted ribbontail rays revealed how their skin’s nanostructures create vivid blue colors, useful in camouflage and potentially adaptable for eco-friendly dyes in various applications. Credit: Morgan Bennet Smith
Researchers have discovered the mechanisms behind the electric blue spots on bluespotted ribbontail rays, identifying nanostructures that reflect light to create vibrant colors.
This finding has implications for developing chemical-free coloration technologies, with ongoing research into similar phenomena in other marine 
Blue shark. Credit: Viktoriia Kamska
Nature’s Blue: Structural vs. Pigment Coloration
Structural colors are produced by extremely small structures that manipulate light, rather than as a product of chemical pigments. “Blue colors are especially interesting because blue pigments are extremely rare, and nature often uses DOI: 10.1002/adom.202301909
The research is supported by the University Grant Committee with the General Research Fund at the City University of Hong Kong.
This research was presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Prague.
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