Birds' dazzling iridescence tied to nanoscale tweak of feather structure

The iridescent shimmer that makes birds such as peacocks and hummingbirds so striking is rooted in a natural nanostructure so complex that people are only just beginning to replicate it technologically. The secret to how birds produce these brilliant colors lies in a key feature of the feather's nanoscale design, according to a study led by Princeton University researchers and published in the journal eLife.