A butterfly’s wing is covered in hundreds of thousands of tiny scales like miniature shingles on a paper-thin roof. A single scale is as small as a speck of dust yet surprisingly complex, with a ...

Butterfly wings contain hundreds of thousands of tiny microscopic scales, some of which are structured to display color. If you’ve ever touched a butterfly and had some fine powder left behind on your ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. From the danger-sign orange of Monarch butterflies, to the regal ...

If you brush against the wings of a butterfly, you will likely come away with a fine sprinkling of powder. This lepidopteran dust is made up of tiny microscopic scales, hundreds of thousands of which ...

New findings about this aspect of metamorphosis could help engineers design materials for managing light and heat. A butterfly’s wing is covered in hundreds of thousands of tiny scales, like miniature ...

To view the wings without damaging the delicate cells, the research team used speckle-correlation reflection phase microscopy. This type of microscopy works by shinning tiny points of light onto a ...

Engineers have continuously observed scales growing and assembling on a butterfly wing for the first time as the developing insect transforms inside its chrysalis. If you brush against the wings of a ...