How the robin's red breast could be the key to colours that never fade

Colours of some birds created through light manipulation by feather nanostructure; knowledge could lead to non-fading fabric and paint colours

Sheffield scientists now know why kingfishers catch fire, robins are red, and jays are blue: the pattern of colour on a bird's wing may have nothing to do with pigment, and everything to do with feather structure on a scale of billionths of a metre.

The research has a potential pay-off for fabric manufacturers and the paint industry. If blue jays never turn grey with age because their colour is based on the way light is manipulated rather than a splash of natural dye, then fashion designers could perhaps dream up amazing technicoloured coats that would never fade in the wash.