Overview

• Multiple dye treatments transform peacock feather eyespots into optical cavities that produce coherent yellow-green laser beams.
• Published results confirm this as the first biolaser cavity identified in any animal, marking a milestone in biological photonics.
• The birds’ iridescence arises from periodic nanostructures of melanin rods coated in keratin that function as natural photonic crystals.
• Researchers demonstrated that tuning these structures can selectively block or transmit specific wavelengths of light.
• Insights from this study are expected to inspire new technologies such as anti-counterfeiting patterns, self-cleaning surfaces and iridescent architectural materials.