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What Bird Feathers and Beer Foam Have In Common

Posted by timothy on from the can-reach-great-altitude dept.

Rational Egoist writes "Researchers at Yale University have found that some of the brightest colors in bird feathers are created through structures similar in origin and composition to that of beer foam. Unlike with most colors in nature — which are produced by pigments — the bright blue colors of Bluebirds and Blue Jays are actually produced by sponge-like nanostructures. These structures are formed in quite the same way as beer foam. From the article: '[Researchers] compared the nanostructures to examples of materials undergoing phase separation, in which mixtures of different substances become unstable and separate from one another, such as the carbon-dioxide bubbles that form when the top is popped off a bubbly drink. They found that the color-producing structures in feathers appear to self-assemble in much the same manner. Bubbles of water form in a protein-rich soup inside the living cell and are replaced with air as the feather grows.'"

14 of 36 comments (clear)

  1. So when will... by Lulfas · · Score: 2, Funny

    I be able to get a pint of bird feathers flown to me? And still get me drunk?

    1. Re:So when will... by tjonnyc999 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm sure there's a team of scientists over at MIT or Stanford, working hard on the next-generation bird-based beer-delivery system. Have some faith in science, man!

    2. Re:So when will... by tjonnyc999 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hrm. "Nanobeer" - from the makers of "Brawndo"?

  2. Without RTFS by Renderer+of+Evil · · Score: 4, Funny

    What Bird Feathers and Beer Foam Have In Common

    Failed amazon.com experiments with new packing materials

    1. Re:Without RTFS by Lulfas · · Score: 2, Funny

      Beer foam would be a great packing material. I just bought an AA book the other day, would've helped :(

  3. It's got what cells crave. by spazdor · · Score: 2, Funny

    Electrolytes!

    --
    DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!
  4. What else did they compare it to? by f5hacka · · Score: 5, Funny

    How the crap did they come up with comparing it to beer foam? What else was on the list of things to compare it to? Yale Guy: "THC...nope. Crystal Meth...nope. Hookers...nope. Beer Foam... WE GOT A MATCH BOYS"

    --
    Hi
  5. UV illumination by MollyB · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This article got me thinking about birds' ability to see in the UV waveband, and I scrounged up this somewhat dated link which notes "the vast majority of male and female birds that look alike to humans--blue jays, for example-- may actually look entirely different to the birds themselves because of their ability to see UV light, which humans are blind to." [Emphasis mine]
    I wonder how the nanostructures self-assemble with such apparent precision?

    1. Re:UV illumination by Zerth · · Score: 2, Interesting

      UV light, which humans are blind to

      .

      Humans with OEM corneas, at least. Artificial corneas don't absorb UV light.

    2. Re:UV illumination by blincoln · · Score: 2, Informative

      Humans with OEM corneas, at least. Artificial corneas don't absorb UV light.

      Even with an artificial cornea, our eyes aren't sensitive to UV in the sense that some insects and birds are. We don't have UV-specific receptors, so we would see it as more white light, or more of whichever colour receptors were most sensitive to it.

      I'd be curious to know if people with artificial corneas can see the UV patterns on flowers, even if they can't really tell that it's a different colour, just that there is a bright/dark pattern that people with natural corneas can't see. That's one of the easiest ways to determine useful UV sensitivity.

      Incidentally, our eyes are mildly sensitive to near-infrared too, in the same no-specific-receptors sense. You don't need artificial corneas to take advantage of that either - just some NIR-bandpass goggles and a bright source of illumination, like a sunny day.

      --
      "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
  6. But birds are descended from dinosaurs by billstewart · · Score: 3, Funny

    so obviously dinosaurs are descended from beer yeasts.

    It's much more likely that you'll find a *(%^*& veliciraptor in your fermenter (unless of course the bluejay just flew in their by accident, or because it was trying to retrieve a dropped coconut or something.

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  7. badpour?! by nloop · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Who is tagging this bad pour? The head contains the aromatics of the beer, its texture varies depending on the beer, it gives you insight into the beers body and color, it is a good thing! Sure, if I'm drinking miller light I couldn't care less about it, but if it's a real beer there better be some head there! Bad pour... really?! Drink some good beer and come back later!

    1. Re:badpour?! by LanMan04 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Indeed. A good Belgian Special had better have some foam, otherwise you don't get any lacing! :(

      --
      With the first link, the chain is forged.
  8. This was already known by 1336 · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Unlike with most colors in nature - which are produced by pigments - the bright blue colors of Bluebirds and Blue Jays are actually produced by sponge-like nanostructures. These structures are formed in quite the same way as beer foam."

    This has been known for some time; sufficient quantities of beer can lead to pink elephants. There's some documentary footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nwNPaYoTY8