Science Literature

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Post details: Optimal design for brilliant whiteness in a beetle

01/20/07

by David Tyler 12:31:16 pm, Categories: Literature - Articles, 376 words

Optimal design for brilliant whiteness in a beetle

The two mechanisms of colouration in animals are pigmentation and highly periodic ultrastructure. Whiteness requires an aperiodic ultrastructure so that incident sunlight can be scattered. Material scientists have recognised this need for scattering and have produced surface coatings with the appropriate ultrastructure to yield high whiteness. Recent studies of the unusually brilliant white beetle Cyphochilus reveals that the thickness of the scattering layer is only 5 micrometers, at least two orders of magnitude thinner than man-made coatings with the same degree of whiteness. The scales of the beetle contain a sparse, random network of cuticular filaments that are optimal for the efficient scattering of light. Senior author Peter Vukusic commented that were the filaments crowded more or crowded less, the whiteness would be reduced: "It's a fine line, but this beetle seems to have achieved a good compromise." This research points the way to a new generation of thin optically white materials.
We hear arguments from Darwinists that design in nature is "cobbled together" by the unguided processes of mutation and natural selection. However, whilst a few examples of darwinian design appear convincing, most are definitely not! The discipline of biomimetics is testimony to exquisite design in nature, giving inspiration to scientists and engineers for innovative new materials and products. Intelligent agency is the rationale for exquisite design, just as the "blind watchmaker" is the rationale for "cobbled-together" design.

Brilliant Whiteness in Ultrathin Beetle Scales
Pete Vukusic, Benny Hallam, and Joe Noyes
Science 315, 19 January 2007: 348.

Abstract: The colored appearances of animals are controlled by pigmentation, highly periodic ultrastructure, or a combination of both. Whiteness, however, is less common and is generated by neither of these, because it requires scattering processes appropriate for all visible wavelengths. We report whiteness resulting from a three-dimensional photonic solid in the scales of Cyphochilus spp. beetles. Their scales are characterized by their exceptional whiteness, their perceived brightness, and their optical brilliance, but they are only 5 micrometers thick. This thickness is at least two orders of magnitude thinner than common synthetic systems designed for equivalent-quality whiteness.

See also: Cartwright, J., Tropical beetle has the brightest whites, PhysicsWeb, Jan 18 2007.
This essay has images of the beetle, the internal structure of the scales, and an image of several beetles to demonstrate the unusual whiteness of Cyphochilus.

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