NPR

Discovery Of 1st New Blue Pigment In 200 Years Leads To Quest For Elusive Red

YInMn Blue, the first new blue to be discovered in over 200 years. (Courtesy Oregon State University)

We see colors in nature: a blue sky, a red frog, a peacock’s feathers. But those colors are created by the reflection of light off atoms. To reproduce color for paints, cosmetics or dyes, we need pigment. Finding natural ones or creating them synthetically is as complicated as it is elusive.

The pigments need to be stable — not fading in light, or disintegrating with heat. And they need to be nontoxic. So when scientist accidentally discovered a new blue — meeting all those criteria — a few years back, he was.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min readWorld
A Baby Girl Born Orphaned And Premature After An Israeli Airstrike In Gaza Has Died
The newborn died after five days in an incubator. Her family was killed in an air strike. UNICEF says 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, with thousands more orphaned and wounded.
NPR3 min readInternational Relations
Hamas Says It's Preparing To Respond To Israel's Latest Gaza Cease-fire Proposal
The militant group says it's examining the latest Israeli suggestions for a cease-fire in Gaza, seven months into the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
NPR6 min readAmerican Government
Mike Johnson And The Troubled History Of Recent Republican Speakers
Johnson is the sixth Republican elevated to the speakership since 1994. The five who preceded him all saw their time in the office end in relative degrees of defeat or frustration.

Related Books & Audiobooks