Topic description and stories

Nabil Ali in the Botanic Garden

The artist who made ink from Newton's Apple Tree

16 Oct 2023

Nabil Ali is discovering the natural colours hidden within the berries, blooms and bark found in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden – including...

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Macaw

Computational modelling explains why blues and greens are brightest colours in nature

11 Sep 2020

Researchers have shown why intense, pure red colours in nature are mainly produced by pigments, instead of the structural colour that produces bright...

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Viburnum tinus fruits

Metallic blue fruits use fat to produce colour and signal a treat for birds

06 Aug 2020

Researchers have found that a common plant owes the dazzling blue colour of its fruit to fat in its cellular structure, the first time this type of...

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Cyphochilus beetle with cellulose-based coating

Ultra-white coating modelled on beetle scales

13 Mar 2018

Researchers have developed a super-thin, non-toxic, lightweight, edible ultra-white coating that could be used to make brighter paints and coatings...

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Colony of the Flavobacterium IR1

In living colour: Brightly-coloured bacteria could be used to 'grow' paints and coatings

20 Feb 2018

Researchers have unlocked the genetic code behind some of the brightest and most vibrant colours in nature. The paper , published in the journal PNAS...

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Petals produce a 'blue halo' that helps bees find flowers

18 Oct 2017

New study finds “messy” microscopic structures on petals of some flowers manipulate light to produce a blue colour effect that is easily seen by bee...

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History reveals the hazards of dismantling trade protection

31 Jan 2017

As the UK prepares to leave the EU, trade regimes are being reconfigured. Research into 19th-century trade regulations by Carolyn Cobbold, historian...

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Bee on a non-iridescent flower

Flowers tone down the iridescence of their petals and avoid confusing bees

25 Feb 2016

Latest research shows that flowers’ iridescent petals, which may look plain to human eyes, are perfectly tailored to a bee’s-eye-view.

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An Aegean wall lizard resting on a rock

Lizards camouflage themselves by choosing rocks that best match the colour of their backs

25 Jan 2016

New research shows wild Aegean wall lizards found on Greek islands choose to sit on rocks that better match their individual colouring. This improves...

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Female (left) and male (right)

Love’s Labours: study shows male lizards risk becoming lunch for a bird in order to attract a mate

22 Sep 2015

New research shows male lizards are more likely than females to be attacked by predators because the bright colours they need to attract a mate also...

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Detail of Kingfisher, woodblock printed in colour, Kitagawa Utamaro

Why does the kingfisher have blue feathers?

12 Aug 2015

The Cambridge Animal Alphabet series celebrates Cambridge's connections with animals through literature, art, science and society. Here, K is for...

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Brown Vs Yellow Dottyback

Colour-morphing reef fish is a 'wolf in sheep's clothing'

19 Mar 2015

The dottyback changes its colour to match surrounding damselfish species, enabling it to counter the defences of its damselfish prey by disguising...

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