The secret to a blueberry’s hue is in the structure of its wax coat.
Waxy coverings on blue-colored fruits such as blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum), grapes (Vitis vinifera) and some plums contain nanostructures that scatter blue and ultraviolet light, researchers report February 7 in Science Advances. That makes these fruits look blue to people. Birds — capable of seeing UV light — probably see such delicious snacks as blue-UV (SN: 4/3/01).
Blue is not a common color in nature. And while there are some known blue fruits, few contain pigments in that shade. Blueberries, for instance, contain a heaping amount of anthocyanin, a skin pigment that should give each sphere
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