The Subatomic Challenge Behind Synthesizing the Color ‘Blue’

Turns out, blue is not only a color that's rare in nature, but it's almost impossible to recreate. In order to do so, you need to dive into the physics of color. Can Some People See More Colors Than You? https://youtu.be/MdBTMGRHk2g Read More: Blue Through the Centuries: Sacred and Sought After https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/science/blue-through-the-centuries-sacred-and-sought-after.html "The first stable blue colorant used in the ancient world came from lapis lazuli, a semiprecious stone mined in Afghanistan beginning about 6,000 years ago." What Gives the Morpho Butterfly Its Magnificent Blue? https://www.kqed.org/science/24552/what-gives-the-morpho-butterfly-its-magnificent-blue "Some butterfly scales are colored by pigments. But others rely on something called “structural color” -– the production of color by nano-sized elaborate shapes that reflect and bend light. Structural color is why we perceive the Morpho butterfly, a dazzling type of blue butterfly found in South America, Mexico and Central America, as bright blue" Why blue is the costliest colour https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/apr/17/colour-blue-rich-divine-ancient-egyptians-virgin-mary "The ancient Greeks had no word for blue as we know it today – Homer described the sea as “wine-dark” in the Odyssey – and neither can it be found in the Icelandic sagas, the Koran, ancient Chinese stories or myriad other texts." ____________________ Elements is more than just a science show. It’s your science-loving best friend, tasked with keeping you updated and interested on all the compelling, innovative and groundbreaking science happening all around us. Join our passionate hosts as they help break down and present fascinating science, from quarks to quantum theory and beyond. Seeker explains every aspect of our world through a lens of science, inspiring a new generation of curious minds who want to know how today’s discoveries in science, math, engineering and technology are impacting o