Making the invisible, visible! Images of butterfly wings at the microscopic scale are stunning, and at the nanoscopic scale they become otherworldly. Shot with light and electron microscopes at magnifications up to 50,000x, Nanoscapes reveals the elaborate topography of butterfly wings, which have produced a wealth of data on the surprisingly little known story of structural coloration. Nanoscapes has screened at more than 20 film festivals, venues and platforms worldwide.
A team of microscopists at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory and the Martin Lab at George Washington University generated hundreds of images with light and electron microscopes at magnifications up to 50,000x. Light microscope imaging was done by Kristina Dutton at Woods Hole.
Both the Martin Lab at George Washington University and the Patel Lab at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory are investigating structural color. The Martin Lab has recently been focused on UV light coloration, featured in this short. Information on published findings can be found [here] and [here].
The major molecular paintbrushes found in butterflies and moths are found in numerous other creatures and incredibly, we humans share these specific wing shaping genes with butterflies!
Finding ways to demonstrate complex, abstract research on UV light and structural color was challenging. The team presented SEM images as miniature landscapes, adding false coloring and animation to add scale and gravity to still, colorless images. McFarland's use of procedural VDB modeling created extraordinarily detailed microstructures, while his use of Unreal Engine's nanite technology created an artistic rendering of UV light's irregular reflection patterns.
Nate Kinsella and I had fun with the score on this one.
