logoalt Hacker News

Sharlinyesterday at 5:28 PM1 replyview on HN

Not just butterflies, birds too! But what selection pressure drove the evolution of these structural colors? Presumably signaling, the opposite of muted, camouflaging colors.

Also, as many might know, blue eyes are the result of a lack of pigment (eumelanin). The iris is translucent, but Rayleigh scattering preferentially backscatters blue photons. Green eyes have some pigment, making them a mix of brown and blue.


Replies

adrian_byesterday at 6:18 PM

Also the blood veins that you see as bluish through the skin are blue for the same reason, due to light scattered in their walls.

show 1 reply