Melanin, especially integumentary melanin, interacts in numerous ways with
electromagnetic radiation, leading to a set of critical functions, including radiation protection …

Plumage coloration can have substantial effects on a bird's energy budget. This is because
different colours reflect and absorb light differently, affecting the heat loads acquired from …

Several ecogeographical 'rules' have been proposed to explain colour variation at broad
spatial and phylogenetic scales but these rarely consider whether colours are based on …

Melanin is a ubiquitous natural pigment that exhibits broadband absorption and high
refractive index. Despite its widespread use in structural color production, how the absorbing …

Anthocyaninless (white) instead of black/red (coloured) fruits develop in grapevine cultivars
without functional VviMYBA1 and VviMYBA2 genes, and this conditions the colour of wines …

How and why certain groups become speciose is a key question in evolutionary biology.
Novel traits that enable diversification by opening new ecological niches are likely important …

Humans use textiles to maintain thermal homeostasis amidst environmental extremes but
known textiles have limited thermal windows. There is evidence that polar-dwelling animals …

Traits that exhibit differences between the sexes have been of special interest in the study of
phenotypic evolution. Classic hypotheses explain sexually dimorphic traits via intra-sexual …

Colour lightness has received considerable attention owing to its diverse functional aspects,
such as in thermoregulation, pathogen resistance, and photoprotection. However, the …

A dual-wavelength Q-switched Nd: YAG laser emitting at 1064 nm and 532 nm and an Er:
YAG laser were tested on a range of feathers containing melanin, carotenoids and …