Why Is Blue So Rare In Nature?
Vložit
- čas přidán 8. 01. 2018
- Duh, except for the sky… and the ocean…
Don't miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► bit.ly/iotbs_sub
↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓
Among living things, the color blue is oddly rare. Blue rocks, blue sky, blue water, sure. But blue animals? They are few and far between. And the ones that do make blue? They make it in some very strange and special ways compared to other colors. In this video, we'll look at some very cool butterflies to help us learn how living things make blue, and why this beautiful hue is so rare in nature.
SPECIAL THANKS:
Smithsonian Institution - National Museum of Natural History
Bob Robbins, Ph.D. - Curator of Lepidoptera
Juan Pablo Hurtado Padilla - Microscope Educator
Richard Prum, Ph.D. - Yale University
Vinothan Manoharan, Ph.D. - Harvard University
SOURCES:
Bagnara, J. T., Fernandez, P. J., & Fujii, R. (2007). On the blue coloration of vertebrates. Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, 20(1), 14-26.
Cuthill, I. C., Allen, W. L., Arbuckle, K., Caspers, B., Chaplin, G., Hauber, M. E., ... & Mappes, J. (2017). The biology of color. Science, 357(6350), eaan0221.
Kinoshita, S., Yoshioka, S., & Miyazaki, J. (2008). Physics of structural colors. Reports on Progress in Physics, 71(7), 076401.
Kinoshita, S. (2008). Structural colors in the realm of nature. World Scientific.
Prum, R. O., Quinn, T., & Torres, R. H. (2006). Anatomically diverse butterfly scales all produce structural colours by coherent scattering. Journal of Experimental Biology, 209(4), 748-765.
Vukusic, P., & Sambles, J. R. (2003). Photonic structures in biology. Nature, 424(6950), 852-855.
Vukusic, P., Sambles, J. R., Lawrence, C. R., & Wootton, R. J. (1999). Quantified interference and diffraction in single Morpho butterfly scales. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 266(1427), 1403-1411.
-----------
FOLLOW US:
Merch: store.dftba.com/collections/i...
Facebook: / itsokaytobesmart
Twitter:@DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart
Tumblr: www.itsokaytobesmart.com
Instagram: @DrJoeHanson
-----------
It's Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
Director: Joe Nicolosi
Writer: Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
Producer/editor/animator: Jordan Husmann
Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox
Produced by PBS Digital Studios
Music via APM
You never notice how rare blue is, until you do, and then you (don't) see it *everywhere*.
Leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this week's video! And commence the blue-pun party
But do purple is even rarer?
Great
loved this video! Now we have to find dinosaur and early bird feathers to track the evolution of the structures. Same for butterflies (I doubt we will find those).
It's Okay To Be Smart 4th!
But why is blue rare in the first place? Is there something special or peculiar about the wavelength that makes it harder to produce biologically than the other colors? I feel like the answers here didn't get down to the real reason blue is rare.
He missed the perfect chance to say "blue-tiful"
clortz I was about to comment that
Underrated comment,
Yeah, I agree, that would be really pun-ny 😂
He did already
2:47 clearly said "blue my mind"
A missed opportunity at 2:14
He could have said at 4:14 "you think they'd blues their color"
Bluetyful blueterfly
“Butterflies are awesome”
Carries a box of butterfly corpses
Yes, and they have MANY specimens of the same species.
@@laitdejabot9890 That was a very violent reaction to a joke...
@@laitdejabot9890 r/whoooosh
@@laitdejabot9890 ok..
They stay beautiful as a corpse
Fun fact: Homer did not mention the color blue once in his famous works ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’. Still, the color of the sea or of the sky was described multiple times. As an Ancient Greek student: Homer used Ancient Greek terms like ‘dark red’, ‘rich purple’ or ‘light green’.
Blue did in Ancient Greek not classify as a color worth creating its own, specific term for.
Nice observation. What do you think about that? Why didn’t they?
@Prince Zuni well because it isn’t a common color
@@willmcclard206Bruh
the sky
it's not common in "nature" but it's VERY common in what you see daily
@@corner_boi the sky also isn't "blue" it changes color depending on the temperature during the day to orange, red and white and completely vanishes at night and the sea is also not completely blue because it just reflects the light.. so yeah blue is almost an illusion
So he was color blind.....
Nature: "Animals can't be blue!"
Chameleon: "Allow me to introduce myself..."
"Why Is Blue So Rare In Nature?"
The Sky: am I a joke to you?
Found you
Was actually going to comment this!
I was going to comment the same
That's what I thought before clicking on the video!
Not to mention the oceans and seas lmao
The sky isn't actually blue though. It's just the reflection of the sea
Meanwhile in a parallel universe: A butterfly has a boxes of human corpses and says "Humans are Awesome!"
"If we stab them, red flows out! If we choke them, they turn purple! And if it's heart beats faster they turn pink!"
@@branddransnothingbuthands599 dont forget the barf green on their bruises
If that really happens Humans deserve it (even me)
🤣🤣🤣
Haha😂
Ok here's some hypotheses for you:
1. Only primary colors can be derived from structures
2. Using every structure we know of could be combined to construct a tubing with the highest possible light absorption that would still let a specific frequency (eg blue lasers) through.
3. The blue structure in a butterfly wing originally evolved as a way to construct a more matter-efficient functional butterfly wing and blue was just a phenotypical expression of circumstance.
What exactly is 'structure '
Most primary colours can be obtained from pigments
@@Hankpym2837 I don't know, sounds like nonsense
That's just so amazing! I'm speechless. 🦋
This blue my mind
The MinuteEarth squad has arrived
It took me a long time to get it
don't even have to type jokes these days, they are already written down in the comment section ;p
Paul Paulson this pun brings me great pain
Paul Paulson lol 😂
Humans: Blue is rare in nature
Aliens: That planet is totally Blue
😂😂
🤣🤣🤣 got the point.
🤣
also the aliens: wait dafug is a blue???
🤣🤣🤣
Loved this! What about fish scales and tails? I’m so curious now! I have a pair of German-Blue Rams (freshwater tropical fish), and a tank of blue-gold double swordtail guppies (I didn’t invent these names lol sorry!). There are some blue fish in nature, but now I’m wondering if they’re really blue! 🤯
I remember watching this 6 years ago, and I still remember this, awesome video.
Why is blue rare in nature?
Purple: hold my beer
Purple on the spectrum is in ver less in wavelength, whereas blue next to it is more. That’s why ww don’t even take purple color light as the startup for many chemistry problems and consider blue as shortest wavelength.
I love blue!
Hold my food coloring
Nc profile bruh...
@@xavieryuki7333 me too
“But when I learned how this works... It kinda *blue* my mind”
Best and underrated comment
Are bhai bhai bhai
Here before it blows up
@@maazhannan9829 blues up*
@@ortelim9540 he said blew in the video, I think
What a nice video. Interesting subject, well-founded, nice narration, nice edition, nice illustrations, nice animation! 👏 People that watch have no idea of how much work is required to create such a nice product like this. Nice job, guys!
nature is miraculous. The way as I see it, for human being it is impossible to know all about nature, but nothing can deter me from being interested in nature
Butterflies be like: “It’s not about the colors, it’s about sending a message..”
SHAGGY HAS CANCERRRRRR??!?!?? 💀💀💀 I CANTT
Hahahaha 🤣 this should be pinned!
Water and Sky: "But we are sending the message already"
Sounds like something an art teacher would say lmao
@@wannathrustshigoku-san3550 god: ill send the messages around here
"Butterflies are A-W-E-S-O-M-E, make no mistake!" This is a dude who loves his job
True
Not lying-
I love butterflies but I like them less now because I found out that they were just ants with wings 😅
The fact that I have a picture of a BLUE BUTTERFLY 🦋 this video is AWESOME
@@hi-mo1fz lmao 🤣
Wonderful! Subscribed after I saw my first video from this channel. Most YT content is so boring, but not if I’m learning new things!
Thanks so much for this video! I've often wondered whether blue truly existed very much in nature. Looks like it does, but it's rare. I'm also curious about blue in plants. Most of the blue flowers that I know of were engineered to be so.
In New Zealand we have a blue hochstetter mushroom
Hydrangeas are blue, and other colours, depending on the nutrients in the soil. You can manipulate them by putting more of a certain nutrient in the soil, but that's their nature. We have forget-me-nots, bluebells, and morning glory, off the top of my head. And what is that bulb, is it hyacinth? I was thinking of our local "Blue Flag Iris", but it's more of a purplish colour. Oh, and how can I forget, speaking of local... lupines! It's a favorite subject of mine to paint. :)
Texas bluebonnets
I was wondering about plants too after watching this video. The elusive blue rose isn't possible in nature because of a lack of pigment, but other flowers and plants have blue or purple colors. Besides the blue/bluish ones mentioned, I can think of blue sweet pea, gentian, and blue morning glory, and common speedwell (the most common in my region having flowers with distinct blue-and-white petals). Most blue flowers are more purplish, such as the lovely blue violet.
So, butterflies are you blue?
Butterfly: Well yes, but no. 2:25
Water- Blue but not really
Butterfly-Blue but not really
Water=Butterfly
Water=liquid
Liquid butterfly
Impeccable logic
*MINDBLOWN*
*Hence Proved.*
Logic checks out
First video I see from this guy. I’m subbing
blue is my favorite color, and my love for it got deeper when i watched this videom on the other hand, i've not seen butterflies in a while. they were my favorite insects since i was a child... i wonder where they go.
Blue is my favorite color and it's not even real on animals.
That's why blue is unique
U can watch it everywhere
But there are only few places where u really find it
It's my favorite color too. That's why my favorite animal is Azure Jay, she has blue and black feathers.
@Dan Rivers mine is winter chill and surfside
Yes blue jays
At least replies are blue
“Why is blue soo rare in nature?”
Me thinking about purple:
lmao me too!
Yeah, purple seems so much rarer.
Violets
Galazy Comics Library
There are a lot of purple plants though while there aren’t many blue ones.
There are many purple colored fruits and plants f.e. eggplants and lavenders
I loved this lepidopterist, he’s a smart, fun character. I think one has to be to study butterflies, or at least, turns out that way.
Nice approach!
"So wait, they're blue... But not really blue?"
Hmmmm, yes the floor is not made out of floor
Every 1 inch is a 1 inch
The pope is catholic
I farted
Potato is banana
Every milimeter is not a milimeter
I got to be honest: I didn’t search for this , yet is one of the best mind blowing videos out there.
Me three
Me four
Same 🤣
mind blue-ing*
@@krwrie no
I gotta get myself to that Moth ball! Sounds like a cool shin dig! Knees up!
"There are no Blue Squirrels"
Me: *hold my beer*
If you don't get it, try looking at his profile pic
Your acting like one IDOT
Dear Black plauge Bacteria, thee probably meant idiot instead of “IDOT”. I advise you not to use such offensive names.
@mr meep meep isn't the best bacteria
Did you make this account just for this or is this legit beetle juicing
Amazing video! So educational and interesting!
Very interesting!
Appreciated the fact that this man wore a blue shirt too.
There are many blue shirts lol
My ad was blue
Technically it’s indigo color ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Blue with bugs on it
@@133a83 You just didn't get it did you?
"Even blue whales aren't that blue"
"Nature dosen't go half and half when it comes to blue"
They’re more grey then they are leaning toward blue. Kinda like the great white shark, that’s less than 20% white.
And they don’t have the pigments either. Only that butterfly is known to have blue pigmentation.
Plot twist: Blue doesnt even exist.
@@bamf6603 it's all just you're retina playing games on you-
@@rujula6949 just like your grammar
@@atr0phaneura726 nah wait I didn't see that pls I hate when people use you're instead of your 🤡
Thank you for an interesting video
This brings a lot of questions to mind about certain sea animals as well. How about the critters that emit blue light? And from which branch of the evolutionary tree did emerge the Blue Man Group?
Him: blue eyes are actually not blue
Me: the day i lost my identity
No-one knows what it's like to be the sad man...
@@mulgerbill u seem kinda cute got insta?
Law and Order
Court case
you just made a comment saying that you were colourblind and can't see blue?
@@xylonbanda i can see blue, but not like most of the ppl, i can still see it its not gray or sum
“Wait, so, they’re blue... But they’re not really blue..?”
“That’s correct, yes.”
*”You’re lying to me, butterflies..”*
I know right
;-;
That "blue" my mind....
They never realt were on the blue side
Funny enough the thing your wachting is never the color you see its the oposyte...
How to i say that shhhiiiiii*
Well its every other color
I find this very interesting from several standpoints (biology, optics, genetics, and I'm sure plenty more). I remember learning that the elusive blue rose isn't naturally possible due to a lack of pigment. We see blue colors in other flowers and plants though. I'm curious now, what about plants, and what about minerals such as natural sapphires, turquoise, and aquamarine?
Amazing!!
What about the indigo pigment from the indigo plant??
Could you explain that??
Here's a summary of the comment section for you: "this blue my mind".
Man, you blue it for everyone...
it kinda blue my mind
nigahiga ?
mustapha supas havent seen it once besides ur comment m8
Dirk Groovy you weren't here when this video had less than 100 comments. But if you wanna go through over 1k comments than go ahead.
him: *tries to show blue in animals*
blue: i'm not even here baby, i'm a hallucination👨🦯
More like a mirage. (A hallucination is a trick of the mind. A mirage is a trick of the light.)
@@MarsJenkar lol i was just making a popular joke, you're very smart though :)
@@MarsJenkar ohh so that’s why they say that in deserts/desserts
@@suffolk4418 they say that in cakes? TF?
@@universenerdd was too lazy to check whether desert or dessert was correct for a sand biome
Mama blue smart more blessing and good luck
raises more questions as it answers.. really cool video
“nature doesn’t do halfway with blue”
him five seconds earlier “blue whales aren’t even that blue”
Context
Sky : let’s pretend I did not see it
Still blue
Haha I was about to comment the exact same thing
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 hes a bloody idiot he didnt even think about what he said
"Why is blue so rare in nature"
Earth being called the blue planet : ......
its green
@@adityaanandas.4378 that's like saying that a ball that is clearly multicoloured is just pink.
@@adityaanandas.4378 its orange/brown because the water is dominant than land if you dont get it its because of the pollution and etc
ok
the seas: 🙁🙁🙁🙁
New subscriber 🤌✨ Good videos!
Wonderful video sir🎉❤️
So basically...a blue butterfly is green when it's drunk. Got it.
Not quite, just went some idiot spills their drink on them at the bar 😂
It’s green when *you’re* drunk,
but people often get confused about that distinction when they’re drunk. :)
we all like to get drunk when we are blue.
this comment is so underrated xD
When you're high,
*Make blueberry pie!*
(Please remember; Winners don't do drugs, if you wanna be some sort of winner, don't do drugs, unless a certified doctor perscribes you with some that may save your life.)
"there's no blue bats"
Me, playing pokemon and getting ambushed by Zubats: ...
They must be using repel.
@@BorksmithandTheBeef Max Repel
@@SiAttic lol
If all else fails, use an escape rope 😂
FACTS
Now why did he have to zoom in on them gave me chills right away
He:Blue is Rare in nature
Sky:and I am green
Ocean left the chat
"The Blue Planet"
They said.
*They Said*
So is blue the best colour?
Steve Thea no.
The best colour is titan blue
You clicked on show more
And that’s a fact
🦋
"There are no blue dogs"
Blues clues: *visible anger*
Lol
His anger: czcams.com/video/1SGN5msjpIk/video.html
Breh u made me feel nostalgia in 2 second
😁 nostalgia
Blue Heeler
Is anyone else thinking about Bridget's BLUE SOUP? :))))
Love this!
Theres bunch of them underground
It called
*Lapis Lazuli*
*DiAmonD*
GD SuperPlayz no diamonds are *G A Y*
Fnaf Lover 87 My life is a lie :o
Some from a socity
*Lapis Lazuli and Diamonds. Wait what about water it’s dark blue in minecraft*
Blue I am the rarest color in nature
Purple: *am I a joke to you*
SuperKevin021 yeah I was gonna say
@@knitteshetticalynchette9993 boj ecin
Purple, ah Yes The (insert something purple) behind The Slaughter
How about Barney?
Marcus Gorayeb
What do you mean “purple is not blue”?
Of course it isn’t blue.
the pun out of the blue made my day
The blue dye from a Murex snail is genuinely blue which is amazing.
Blew my mind. Tks❤
“Why is blue so rare in nature?”
- an ad of Charmin’s blue bear pops up
🥶 I though they was red once.
@@lilbug3215 google it 😉
@@lilbug3215 they are red in some where they advertise the strong version they are blue when they advertise the soft version though
Butterflies deliver messages like "I'm toxic"
Dang, wish my ex could have done that...
😂 agreed, people should come in more colors too
@@l.a.1477 Uhhhhhhhhhh
@@psychott6 I’m sorry, I don’t understand racism at all, I only care about how people behave and I love variety. Ofc we “come in colors” but given the title of the video I meant “wilder” stuff like we can see elsewhere in nature ;)
you really only noticed they were toxic when they showed their true colors
This comment is underrated!
sea water and sky be like:
what color are we btw ?
Reads title instantly looks into the sky
"Why is blue so rare?"
meanwhile: Ocean and Sky laughing.
Ikr
Ocean ain’t blue cuh
The sky is also blue because of light refraction - just like this video was explaining for other things.
And the ocean just reflects blue from the sky
They are also not Blue. Sky is Blue due to the same Physics effect of Rayleigh scattering, not pigment. The Ocean looks blue because of the sky
@@mops515 it's cause our eyes are unable to see the color purple in the sky, so we see it as blue
PS: No butterflies were harmed in the making of this video. all those butterflies you see are paid actors
So you're saying that they are sleeping?
OMG they are the best actors I've ever seen
Predator XD
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Poor butterflies
wow! their acting blue my mind!
When you said blue squirrel, you had me. We need those.
I was LITERALLY thinking about this yesterday...how did CZcams know 😲
I found a blueberry
"CHECKMATE"
Qsasda Dasdasd Wait
@@alexwang982 well said bro icc is the highest average
Blueberries are actually violet. The inside is green but when blended, purple. Double checkmate sis
@@somethingcreative1067 I'm gay
Jokes on you, blueberries are red
Blue in nature is basically shiny Pokémon’s
4XYaboku such a good comment
Yeah, and also the albinos
Unless your underwater tons of fish are blue
How about purple are they ultra rare then
s k y
Cayman Islands here! We have blue iguanas and they look magnificent, like a giant blue dragon.
7:50 thanks for the mothball!
Blue hedgehogs are everywhere we just can't see them they have evolved to light speed
😂😂😂
Sonic speed
Thats explains why my chilli dogs are gone.
Deja Spriggs
Sanic
Sanic
Butterfly: "I am toxic."
I wish humans did that too ....
With enough practice observing you can tell if the person is
They do...it's called a social media profile
X
assume all are until proven otherwise lol
Humans tend to dye there hair bright colors like toxic animals do in order to tell you they are toxic.
Alright my new favorite color is blue
lack of pigments thats so rare and cool. As an artist I have heard about the fact the theres almost no blue pigments but I really didnt look into it. Thanks for the information.
I was briefly watching magpies outside, with their shiny blue color reflecting feathers as Joe says 4:51
i've always thought that purple was the rarest color in nature
So do I
Egg plant
purple is not a basic color bro
Same
@@pandyatetuko4315 Vertigo
Everyone here is like “wELL tHe SKy bLuE” but like that’s one thing. It’s still rare
And the sky is actually not blue
@@kyojuroswife4112 ikr
It's literally the most abundant thing in the entire planet
70% of the earth is covered in ocean but _100%_ of the earth is covered by sky, _including the ocean bits_
@@potaterjim only 50 percent of the sky is blue as well as another 35 percent
The ocean is blue. And is 2/3rds of the planet, and with that "50%" blue sky, that's an absolute fuckload of blue. More blue on the planet than anything in fact.
You bloody blueaholics being all "I'll tell you when I've had EnOuGh blue!"
Thank you!
the blue jay lego is so cool
This vid came in my recommendation feed out of the blue
Dude
YOU ARE TOO UNDERRATED
It almost blue my mind.
Hahaha.
I've been locked up too long.
This comment. 😂
Ima sub to u
Title: Why is blue so rare in nature?
The sky: Am I a joke to you?
@@EliteRanger ocean is colorless mate. It just reflects light from the sky.
The sky isn't actually blue though, it's just reflecting the blue light during day time. That's also why it turns so many colors during sunset if I'm not wrong. So if you view the blue of the sky as its true color then the sky is actually all colors of the rainbow
Its been a long time since ive red up on this though so I could be wrong in some places
@@aribanahonarukas1641 Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrd.
@@fan1st 👁️👄👁️
Idiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooooot.
@@fan1st no you are just stupid
omg that joke at the end was gold!!!!!!
Insightful information
"And when I learned how this works, it kind of...blue my mind."
THIS GUY.
😂
I laughed at that one
didnt even realize that one xD
My eyes are born blue, my hair is born pink, I’m pretty rare
i love puns
me having a blue shirt and blue pants while eating blue berries
@Mercer blue berries
@@dantendo7232 blue berries are purple
@@Raylen23 more of a navy blue
We being like the ocean is blue and it covers 2/3 of the planet.
Blue berries are purple
Oh this video blew my mind
Not only was this fascinating but magical! Loved the joke too! I'm going to try it on 4th graders! Will they love or just stare at Mr, the response I usually get telling science jokes!
Him: so blue is actually not blue
Everyone: *gasp* kinda sad
Me (colorblind): heh u feel me now?
lol
R u actually colorblind? Thats really cool!
@Parvika Singh no, I’m just saying that it’s cool he has a sort of rare eyesight impairment. I wasn’t trying to offend Jasa or you, sorry ):
you lucky as hell. colorblind people save money on their pc setups cause they don’t need to be picky on their rgb 😕
@@dea-ki5iq oh i actually didnt know that😁ty
0:17 “Animals come in sorts of colors, but blue seems to be the rarest”
Purple:
Purple be like: honey I don’t even exist
Wym?? It’s actually-
and because-
then-
These come in purple very rarely. I had a pic on an old device. Maybe it's in a cloud somewhere but it may not be. 💗 awaiting another true purple specimen to capture digitally.
Not really, varicose veins are purple and they are pretty common among people.
@@suffolk4418 👏🏼
Video title:why blue is rare?
70% of earth is blue
Oceans: ok
thanks so much for this video!! now im wondering about purple animals? are they also as rare because its a structural color vs a pigment?
”This Blue my Mind“
HvDGaMinG26 ryan higa reference
as soon as I heard him I came looking for the reference in the comment section. xD
HvDGaMinG26 Ahahaha so witty! 😊
Get out
Sacre bleu!
Some people don’t seem to understand the difference between actual blue pigment and just a structure that looks blue. The sky and ocean aren’t actual blue pigment. What he’s saying in the video is that blue pigment in nature is very rare.
Nigel Thornberry So *pure* ice was also not true blue?
Vysair Correct. Water and glaciers can look blue because red, orange and yellow (long wavelength light) are absorbed more strongly by water than blue (short wavelength light). So when white light from the sun enters water and pure ice, it is mostly the blue that gets returned. Same reason the sky is blue.
Nigel Thornberry Thank you very much for that explanation.
Nigel Thornberry But don't you mean red and green that were trapped in the ice?
Vysair I’m not sure I understand the question, but how colors work is that whatever color something looks, it’s because that object absorbed every other color except the one that it looks. So water is absorbing all the colors,m except blue which bounces back at our eyes so we see it as blue. I hope that answered it.
Fun fact, the Blue Morpho butterfly was the inspiration behind the Lexus LC500’s “Structural Blue” paint. Lexus spent 15 years developing that color.
Blue is my favourite colour
I never knew that it was so rare
I'm glad I came to know this so I guess I liked the video.