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Structural color and biomimicry are the subjects of this episode, and the blue morpho butterfly is a featured player in both. Structural color is how light interacts with the nano surface of a material - like a blue morpho butterfly wing, or the exoskeleton of an iridescent beetle. Biomimicry refers how science borrows from the natural world to create new technology. My special guest is the immensely stylish and interesting Genevieve Hudson-Price, actor and jewelry designer born and raised in NYC. As an actor, she is best known for her work on HBO's The Wire, The Deuce, and The Outsider. Her jewelry line, Blue Morpho Jewelry, is comprised of one-of-a-kind pieces handmade by Genevieve using recycled metals and ethically sourced precious materials—often featuring real butterfly wings and spider webs encased in hand-carved crystal and gold, as well as real beetles. All of her butterflies come from sustainable butterfly farmers—never hunters. Her jewelry is available is available at ABC Carpet & Home, her website is bluemorphojewelry.com. Photo thanks to Genevieve Hudson-Price.
Learn about whether the exercise trend of “muscle confusion” really works; how structural colors give animals their vibrant hues; and why the way you dance is just as unique as your fingerprint. The Myth of Muscle Confusion by Kelsey Donk Hutchinson, A. (2020, January 23). How to Make Your Strength Routine Evidence-Based. Outside Online; Outside Magazine. https://www.outsideonline.com/2408204/strength-training-research-2020 How ‘Muscle Confusion’ Might Help Your Workouts. (2020, January 8). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/well/move/muscle-confusion-exercise-workouts-fitness.html Baz-Valle, E., Schoenfeld, B. J., Torres-Unda, J., Santos-Concejero, J., & Balsalobre-Fernández, C. (2019, December 27). The effects of exercise variation in muscle thickness, maximal strength and motivation in resistance trained men. PLOS ONE, 14(12), e0226989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226989 How Animals Get Color Without Pigment by Grant Currin Color from Structure. (2013, January 31). The Scientist Magazine®; The Scientist Magazine. https://www.the-scientist.com/cover-story/color-from-structure-39860 Hummingbirds’ rainbow colors come from pancake-shaped structures in their feathers. (2020, January 10). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200110110909.htm Rae Ellen Bichell. (2014, November 12). How Animals Hacked The Rainbow And Got Stumped On Blue. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/11/12/347736896/how-animals-hacked-the-rainbow-and-got-stumped-on-blue Sun, J., Bharat Bhushan, & Tong, J. (2013, May 10). Structural coloration in nature. ResearchGate; RSC Advances. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255772388_Structural_coloration_in_nature Your Dance Style Is as Unique as Your Fingerprint by Steffie Drucker The way you dance is unique, and computers can tell it’s you. (2020, January 17). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200117104740.htm Dance to your own drum: Identification of musical genre and individual dancer from motion capture using machine learning. (2020, January 13). Journal of New Music Research. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09298215.2020.1711778 Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing
STRUCTURAL COLOR: Nate and Sam visit Lauren Zarzar, assistant professor of chemistry at Penn State, to talk about color and a cool kitchen science experiment. Where does color come from and what makes things like opals and butterfly wings iridescent?Links to Lauren's work: - @LaurenZarzar on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LaurenZarzar- Lauren's Website - http://www.zarzarlab.comLinks to the Eberly College of Science:- Eberly College of Science Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PennStateScience- Eberly College of Science Twitter - https://twitter.com/PSUScience- Eberly College of Science Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pennstatescience- Eberly College of Science Website - http://science.psu.edu/
Artist Kate Nichols longed to paint with the iridescent colors of butterfly wings, but no such pigments existed. So she became the first artist-in-residence at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to synthesize nanoparticles and incorporate them into her artwork.
Artist Kate Nichols longed to paint with the iridescent colors of butterfly wings, but no such pigments existed. So she became the first artist-in-residence at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to synthesize nanoparticles and incorporate them into her artwork.
In September 2010, GALLERY CRAWL interviewed artist Kate Nichols about her work using nanotechnology to create "structural color" for her artwork. We visited Nichols at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she is the first artist-in-residence.