• protist
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    5 hours ago

    They have a reflective silver metallic appearance which is achieved through thin film interference within layers of chitin. These layers of the chitin coating are chirped (in layers of differing thicknesses), forming a complex multilayer as each layer decreases in depth; as the thickness changes, so too does the optical path-length. Each chirped layer is tuned to a different wavelength of light. The multilayer found on C. limbata reflects close to 97% of light across the visible wavelength range.

    Nature is insane

  • Yokozuna@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    Ok, no one will ever believe me and that’s ok, but when I was a wee lad I took a trip up north to Tennessee (lol) and I swear on everything in this bush by a tree I saw two golden little beetles similar to that. A lot smaller but yea they were just… right there, it felt special but I really had no idea, still dont really. I thought someone had spray painted them or something, they were so shiny.

    • FoxyFerengi@lemm.ee
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      2 hours ago

      I wonder if they were tortoise beetles? They look gold until you spook them, then they turn a brownish orange. But they are super shiny. Could also have been a type of wood borer, some of the green ones look gold when the light hits right

  • Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    5 hours ago

    I hope they let the beetle go. It’ll be better for everyone if the little guy can propagate instead of filling out a slot in a glass display case.

  • JoYo@lemmy.ml
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    5 hours ago

    is that the Technoloptera? Elroy is looking for one of those.