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Published online 17 November 2005 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news051114-11
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Butterflies shine brighter by design
Spongy wing scales help to channel light.
African butterflies have light-emitting wings that share a trick with high-tech light-emitting diodes (LEDs), researchers in Britain have found.
The swallowtail butterflies of eastern and central Africa (Princeps nireus) have bands of blue spots composed of fluorescent scales: these do not simply reflect light; they actively shine.
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