The Photonic Beetle (IMAGE)

University of Utah

The Photonic Beetle

Caption

This inch-long beetle from Brazil accomplished a task that so far has stymied human researchers. University of Utah chemists determined the beetle glows iridescent green because it evolved a crystal structure in its scales that is like the crystal structure of diamonds. Such a structure is considered an ideal architecture for "photonic crystals" that will be needed to manipulate visible light in ultrafast optical computers of the future.

Credit

Jeremy Galusha, University of Utah

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