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Butterfly Wings 蝴蝶翅膀的秘密

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Unraveling the mystery behind those amazing colors!  解开蝴蝶翅膀惊人色彩背后的谜！

Butterfly wings are so synonymous with bold color that few people may wonder what makes them that way. But Yale University researchers studying the green color on the wings of five butterfly species have found the source of that striking color – three-dimensional crystals known as gyroids.

蝴蝶翅膀具有鲜艳色彩早已是天经地义的现象，以致极少有人会纳闷这种现象是怎么造成的。不过，耶鲁大学的研究人员针对五个不同种类的蝴蝶研究翅膀上的绿色，结果发现这种醒目色彩的来源是一种三维螺旋面孔道结构（译注：即如p.14右上图，属于三重周期极小曲面，为三维链接的孔道结构，由于内部的微小结构呈螺旋状链接[gyrate]，因此称gyroid）的晶体。

Such crystals create vibrant hues through their interactions with light – a type of color that is structural, as opposed to pigment-based. Other animals, such as peacocks and frogs, have structural colors as well, but these particular butterfly colors were based on the especially complex gyroid.

这种晶体会经由与光线互动而产生鲜明的颜色──这是一种结构性色彩，而非色素产生的色彩。孔雀与青蛙等其他生物也有结构性色彩，但蝴蝶的色彩却是由特别复杂的三维螺旋面孔道结构所产生。

“The structural colors are notable because they’re so brilliant, so saturated, so pure,” said biologist Richard Prum, senior author of the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

「结构性色彩特别引人注意，因为这种色彩极为鲜艳，极为饱和，极为纯净，」生物学家理查德德德．普鲁姆说，美国国家科学院的《院刊》所刊载的这篇研究报告，即是由他主笔。

A first look – in 3D  以立体影像初窥真貌

And at last, researchers have been able to see – in three dimensions – the gyroids that create some of these colors. In doing so, they’ve gained a greater understanding of how butterflies produce them.

如今研究人员终于得以藉由三维立体影像见到产生部分这类颜色的三维螺旋面孔道结构。如此一来，他们对于蝴蝶如何产生这些色彩就获得了更深入的理解。

This study was the first to use a three-dimensional imaging method, called small-angle X-ray scattering, to directly observe the unique structures. “The gyroid is the most challenging thing to describe in this research,” said Prum. “I’m still mystified myself. It really is mind-bending.”

这项研究率先使用称为小角度X光散射的立体影像技术直接观察这种独特的结构。「三维螺旋面孔道结构是这项研究里最难阐述的事物，」普鲁姆说：「我自己也仍然充满了迷惑。这种结构确实复杂难懂。」

Vinodkumar Saranathan, co-author of the study, took a stab: “Imagine a maze of these pinwheels, hundreds of thousands of pinwheel connected in all directions.”

研究报告的共同作者维诺库马．萨兰纳丹设法（译注：take a stab指试图、尝试）说明：「想象一个由玩具风车构成的迷宫。各种不同方向的好几十万风车相互连接在一起。」

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synonymous [sɪˋnɑnəməs] adj. 同义的；同义词性质的

crystal [ˋkrɪst!] n. 表面玻璃

gyroid [dʒaɪˋrɔɪd] n. 螺旋二十四面体

proceedings [prəˋsidɪŋz] n. 会议记录

scattering [ˋskætərɪŋ] n. 散射

take a stab【口】尝试, 试图做

pinwheel [ˋpɪn͵hwil] n. 玩具风车 a child’s toy which consists of a stick with brightly colored pieces of plastic at one end which turn around when you blow them

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The team surmised that the wing cells weave in and out among themselves, so that the external surfaces become internal, creating channels in which a material called chitin can be deposited. Chitin is the hard material that forms insect exoskeletons; when the cells die and decay, the chitin is left behind as a gyroid, making the wings a vivid green. Not all butterflies employ such complex structures to make their colors, others use simpler structures or pigmentation.

研究团队推测认为，翅膀的细胞相互交织，因此外部表面也变成了内部，形成沟槽，可供一种称为几丁质的物质沉积于其中。几丁质是构成昆虫外骨骼的坚硬物质，细胞死亡腐烂之后，几丁质就存留下来成为三维螺旋面孔道结构，使得翅膀产生鲜艳的绿色。但并非所有蝴蝶的色彩都拥有这种复杂的结构，有些蝴蝶则采用比较简单的结构或是以色素产生色彩。

Potential applications   未来的应用

Structural colors of all types are appealing to textile and cosmetic manufacturers because they’re also responsible for iridescence, and are used in products such as holographic wrapping paper and CDs.

各式各样的结构性色彩对于纺织品与美容化妆用品制造商都颇具吸引力，因为这种色彩不会褪色。此外，这种色彩也会产生虹彩，目前应用于雷射全像包装纸与CD等产品上。

Gyroids, however, are too complex for current fabrication processes, so manufacturers are keen to mimic the butterflies’ method for producing them. Not only could they be used to create vibrantly hued textiles, gyroids respond to light much like wires transmit electricity, so the potential technological applications could be enormous.

不过，对于当前的制造技术而言，三维螺旋面孔道结构仍然过于复杂，因此制造商都极力想要模仿蝴蝶产生这种晶体的方式。三维螺旋面孔道结构不但能够用于制造色彩鲜艳的纺织品，其对于光线的反应也与电线传递电力的方式极为相似，因此在科技应用上可能具有极大的潜力。

Because butterflies create such structures naturally, the findings suggest that technological developments wouldn’t have to come at an enormous environmental cost.

研究结果指出，由于蝴蝶是自然产生这种构造，因此发展这种科技可让自然环境不必付出庞大的代价。

“These guys can make all the stuff at room temperature without toxic chemicals,” said University of Albany biologist Helen Ghiradella, whose prior work on structural color had an impact on this study. “The biological systems are showing us it can be done.”

「人们能够在室温下制造这些东西，而且不必使用有毒化学物质，」阿尔巴尼大学生物学家海伦．吉瑞黛拉表示。她先前研究结构性色彩的成果对这项研究颇具影响力。「生物体系已经显示出这是可以办到的。」

−by Rachel Bernstein

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surmise [sɚˋmaɪz] v. 推测；猜测

chitin [ˋkaɪtɪn] n. 蟹壳质；几丁质

exoskeleton [͵ɛksoˋskɛlətn] n. 外骨骼 a hard outer layer that covers, supports and protects the body of an invertebrate animal such as an insect or crustacean

textile [ˋtɛkstaɪl] adj. 纺织的

holographic [͵hɑləˋgræfɪk] adj. 全像摄影的 relating to a special type of photograph or image made with a laser in which the objects shown look solid, as if they are real, rather than flat

fabrication [͵fæbrɪˋkeʃən] n.【术语】制造﹐ 生产

technological application 科技的应用 a way something can be used to create a new or improve an existing technology

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Vocabulary Focus

hue [hju] n. 颜色，色彩 the degree of lightness, darkness or strength of a color

saturated [ˋsætʃə͵retɪd] adj. 饱和的；渗透的 pertaining to pure color that is of the highest intensity, and free from a mixture of white, gray or black

mystify [ˋmɪstə͵faɪ] v. 使困惑不解 to confuse someone by being or doing something very strange or impossible to explain

mind-bending [ˋmaɪnd͵bɛndɪŋ] adj. 难以理解的 extremely complex or exciting

pigmentation [͵pɪgmənˋteʃən] n. 色素沉着; （生物的）天然颜色 the natural color of something, usually a living thing

iridescence [ɪrəˋdɛsns] n.【气】虹彩 the quality of having many bright colors which change with movement

keen [kin] adj. 渴望的，极想的; 热心的，热衷的 very interested in, eager or wanting to do something very much

Gyroid Bone

A Short Introduction to Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering

How-To: Holography