Why Are Some Birds Blue?

[@mae_synodic]

i so love learning from hank, he's so passionate and in love with science and it makes it so much easier to be in love with it as much as he is and therefore understand the information! ♥

[@floridaknight3052]

Not in love with "science"...in love with life.

[@sneakerbabeful]

​@@floridaknight3052 more like in love with himself.

[@goullet86]

Brown nosin

[@riverwijaya190]

“Evolution doesn’t think”. To think, that without the pure curiosity and ingenuity we wouldn’t be able to understand the beauty of nature and the secrets it holds for human application is unimaginable to me. I applaud the team that worked on this video, the visuals and story-telling were absolutely amazing!

[@naota3k]

3:54 there's just something magical about the way English was spoken/written hundreds of years ago. It's so eager and enthusiastic.

[@Autrone]

5:00 I just love the fact that someone is straight up coloring a cilliate dying illustration, I'm dying

[@dbzcollector9963]

This channel made me remember I once had an interest in microbiology, as a child I had a toy scope that was more like a magnifying glass but it was still pretty cool for a 6 year old. I was always excited to be able to use a real scope in middle or high school but the schools I went to didn’t have the budget I guess cause we never got use them. This channel is exactly what I would imagine seeing tho so it’s incredible and fascinating. It’s reawakened my interest and I’ve purchased my own microscope cause I’m curious to see what’s around me in my everyday life.

[@Catinka88]

The images, the narration, the information, the ponderings, all these things together make a balm for the soul

[@SnakeAndTurtleQigong]

Wings designed to capture and hold the sky finally managed to capture its refracting color too.

[@thcrs1]

"Why don't we ever shine with the same iridescence as birds?" actually strange that he doesn't comment on light eye colors given this question.

[@stellarcascade7550]

I knew about this vaguely its so cool to be able to know more in depth about the actual structures

[@spitfirebird]

As a wise documentary once said, “feathers are one of nature’s most amazing creations. Everyday, they’re all around us, effortlessly carrying birds on the wing.”- The Dinosaur Feather Mystery (2004)

[@AutodidactEngineer]

Creations❌ Evolvings✅

[@stavros222]

@AutodidactEngineer creation? More like "appearing out of nowhere being complex already "

[@spitfirebird]

@@stavros222 actually, based on fossils and evidence from both dinosaurs and birds, we know that Feathers most likely started out as quills, then evolved barbs, then they started growing in a more uniform pattern, but weren’t forming the shape of a modern bird feather, it was more like a down feather, like on sinosauropteryx. Then, the first pennaceous feathers appear, but weren’t asymmetrical, so they couldn’t generate lift. Such feathers have been found on Caudipteryx, Jinfengopteryx, and Anchiornis. Finally, once we get to Avialae, we see feathers becoming asymmetrical, and being used to generate lift. If you want to learn more about feather evolution, I’d recommend looking into Wikipedia, and then reading some articles from relevant scientific journals, it’s incredibly complex and a solid rabbit hole to dig into if you have some time to burn.

[@the2nd965]

One of my new favorite episodes

[@jakobraahauge7299]

it is really wonderful - kinda magical!

[@Beryllahawk]

Fascinating!!!! I adore feathers and could easily stare at one for hours and hours. Even a "plain" gray feather from a pigeon or a dove, tail feather from a mockingbird, whatever - the dullest yard-bird still has beautiful adornments! Did know about the structural color but this is the first time the explanation got this in depth. And the microscopy is AS ALWAYS astonishing and lovely! I especially loved how you can really see that fine texture on the main feather shaft, it makes it far clearer just how a feather grows and the vast differences between a feather and a hair - they're similar in chemical composition but FAR different in structure. Thank you so much for taking us along - and it's REALLY good to hear your voice again, Hank

[@Grateful.For.Everything]

There’s somethin so nice about that blue color, def stands out in nature.

[@stevenkarnisky411]

Found a small feather yesterday. Burnt orange and white. Couldn't figure out what it is from, but the structure and color of a feather is fascinating. Very timely vid.

[@MostWeakest]

While washing my bottle, i wonder why the black mold that resides in bottle lips are so hard to be washed away. Can you guys make an episode explaining why they're so hard to wash?

[@pinkspaghetti_tube]

If I could take a hot take as to why these structural colors might exsist, I think it might a sort of 'be seen at day, be camouflaged at night' sort of thing

[@UncleBadT]

ok so im just starting this video and im super excited. I have large birds with green, blue, yellow, black and purple colours in their feathers. Edit: just finished the video, even got to see some macaws like mine! I'm more than willing to donate some of their feathers to you if you want more

[@mattskolnik4513]

Thank you Hank. Please expound on this topic to cover eyes.

[@jakobraahauge7299]

Aww, Hank! It's wonderful and a little bit magical to have you back - what a blessing! Lots of love from The Old World - where I've gotten older watching you for a lot of years by now

[@AbqDez]

Wants More.... what are the round nodules... where? why are the structures changing, What structure exactly causes this...? Can you get closer?

[@mpagirobin3805]

It blows my mind to think that evolution is as much the product as it is the process which in itself is on going even now. In this regard, i still find awe in evolution being a mindless process and yet coming up with such. Amazing. "Imagine an undiscovered extinct mega mammal that may have had a similar structure. And the sight of one in person."

[@talontales]

I always wondered why they were blue! (Favourite bird is the Blue Tit in my profile photo)

[@HumbleShallot]

They look best in pairs.

[@talontales]

@@HumbleShallot totally agree. Beautiful creatures when the interact with each other

[@zoetele123]

Thanks you for all your videos guys

[@jrzreg2154]

i love the andrew huang work! So compelling ambience music

[@BossSev38]

In Walter White voice: "Why are you blue?"

[@Ta2dwitetrash]

Also consider Christain bale batman interrogation voice.

[@skybluskyblueify]

So the blue skin on turkeys, cassowaries, and mandrills etc. is due to melanosomes? Is there any structural color on animal skins?

[@mattkuhn6634]

Actually cassowaries and mandrills create their blue using structural color as well - the arrangement of the proteins causes a similar effect to what is discussed in this video

[@VoyageintotheMicro]

Absolutley amazing, as ever. Learned a new thing, happy now :D

[@deniskhafizov6827]

Just a couple of pictures would greatly improve this video: a rainbow reflection from a compact disc; a human eye, especially of blue or green color, which is also structural

[@PatchouliPenny]

A real prism, zooming in on a rainbow and closer magnification of the feathers (I was waiting for that and it didn't happen). Also I couldn't understand why a hollow tubule could create a better blue than what you see on a solid blue bird? Do butterflies that are blue also have hollow tubules that we see as blue instead?

[@DavidDatura]

That last sentence really hit me! Wow! 🤔

[@Esgaroth2005]

I was waiting to see a little zoom so I could see the blue change in real time. Seems like a missed opportunity.

[@pattheplanter]

Also, 100x does not seem like the highest magnification they have.

[@Esgaroth2005]

@@pattheplanter yeah I think blue would have been gone completely. But maybe there would be some more structure to the feather.

[@justsmallstuff4994]

Love this channel

[@rodchallis8031]

Would love to watch all of this, but I have to catch the Toronto Hollow Melanosome Jays game.

[@FoxDragon]

Woot, only posted 3 minutes ago! Fastest I've ever been to a micro video.

[@TheVerendus]

mass broadcasting of this to the general public would create world peace

[@Peeves22]

Might be the most effective clickbait thumbnail for the scientifically curious I’ve ever experienced And of course it fully delivers after the bait!

[@rsaunders57]

While I love the micro-photography, this is a topic that would have benefitted from some graphics that explain how structural color actually happens.

[@TheNewYear75]

beautiful video

[@VEE727]

Sounds like hank will get himself a magnificent tattoo after this video.

[@BeaChapman]

I was just looking at a bluejay feather with my Microcosmos Microscope.

[@andyd8370]

In the voice of Tuco, slightly disappointed and confused: "It's blue..."

[@Deeplycloseted435]

Biology is WILD. Its so amazing that birds decided to have a beauty arms race.

[@vernonbrechin4207]

Your presentation was lovely, especially about the evolutionary direction of such structural color.

[@emilyjayne77]

Ooh this sounds interesting ☺️

[@Guydude777]

Love it

[@manco828]

It's oils right?

[@KatherineCrawford67]

Did you break the MBTA for this one 😉

[@RobVespa]

Being blue is a natural part of life. Balance.

[@PatchouliPenny]

I've been blue my whole life (father commited suicide when I was 3) I'm still waiting for the balance part! At my age I quite fancy the idea of being iridescent blue in colou instead.

[@kanagawakenji7]

I think it was Alan Watts who said "you are the universe experiencing itself."

[@pattheplanter]

I am guessing most of those were magpie feathers. Warner Brothers execs weeping because you didn't even mention a beetle.

[@hgracern]

I adore this channel. 🎉 but idk, could we see iridescence without the rods n cones in our retina. I always thought Color is brain created. ❤

[@animation4970]

Creo que hay algo malo con los subtítulos en español, me gustaría que los revisaran 😊

[@mrmosty5167]

Funny that as resplendent as peacocks are the peahens only seem to care about the eyespot feathers

[@Bleenderhead]

bet you wish you had an electron microscope right about now

[@AelwynMr]

We can also do blue structural colour: people with blue eyes have no blue pigment there!

[@napoleonfeanor]

I've also dealt many pikmins recently ;)

[@ΚάποιοςΑγνωστος-χ1ξ]

I wonder if pigments are also colourless the smaller you grind them, in the atomic level perhaps. I'm assuming that all matter the smaller it is in comparison to a photon the less colour it will have/reflect. Maybe everything is colourless in the subatomic level as they can not reflect photons or part of their wavelength. Does that make sense? I'm not a scientist, just an artist with a lot of imagination. 😀 So if anybody knows the answer for this please inform me as i'm very curious to know.

[@megenberg8]

excuse but they are hollow to allow light to display color and thus do so for the sake of flight/lift/buoyancy. feathers are an 'airframe' for birds. 🐦

[@Efemral]

"Until us, until now."

[@SquirrelGrrl]

Epic

[@bigsarge2085]

✌

[@wormball]

This isn't pigment, it's birdness

[@СергейЦарь-г1ж]

Smart beaver 76

[@oldcowbb]

i recently learnt there is a mushroom that is actual blue

[@Chloroplastspectrum]

I’m not sure it’s fair to say that pigments are *the* compounds that color our cosmetics. I’d venture to say most cosmetic products contain some amount of glitter which usually combines pigment and structural coloration to sparkle.

[@floridaknight3052]

This is also why blue eyes in humans are blue. They are empty

[@Nefertiti0403]

You’re so cute ☺️

[@kmbdbob]

Pikmins? 🤔

[@the_blue_jay_raptor]

Blue jays are the best bird. Change my mind *oh wait you can't*

[@bananieldiamonds1921]

but isn't that just how blue works? it only reflects blue light? i mean so what if its the physical structure that causes this. it would be like saying the sky isn't blue because there is no blue pigment in it. Color is not just pigment and light. its a perception. birds are just as blue as a blue crayon. blue light is entering our eyes and so thats what we see and its humans who determine color. its blue

[@eggsbox]

I think you're missing the forest for the trees, here. Pleochroism is something a lot of people don't know about, and it's a fascinating rabbit hole.

[@soufian2733]

ni birds are not as blue as a crayon. the whole point of this optical phenomenon is that the color looks different depending on where the viewer is positioned

[@bananieldiamonds1921]

@@soufian2733 it is as blue. blue is seeing blue. blue is not a pigment or a shape, its perception

[@bananieldiamonds1921]

I am saying "Blue" is a peceived color by human eyes and minds, not a chemical, not a pigment, not ashape, but a perception of color. all color is perceptual. and if you get down to the subatomic level, "blue pigment" works exactly the same as blue birds. it absorbs all light exept for blue light. Color is just shape. all things are just chemical molecular shapes and all color is preceived. all color is the same. Blue color is blue light entering your eye and being picked up by short wavelength cones. all color is chemically the same in your head whther its from an optical illusion or from "pigment" which is also just an optical illusion but on a molecular scale.@@eggsbox

[@СветланаСербинова-ц9и]

Bad designer 20

[@mdexterc2894]

Daba dee da ba daaa

[@Катерина-ч7т]

Delicious beast 65

[@5-zx7he]

Enthusiastic door 27

[@bryanseare2704]

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