Thank you to the following for sharing their research and expertise:

  • Dr. Karen Osborn - Research Zoologist , Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

  • Dr. Sarah Luttrell - Research Assistant at Smithsonian Institution Feather Identification Lab, National Museum of Natural History

  • Dr. Dakota McCoy - Stanford Science Fellow in Biology and Photonics, Stanford University

References

  • Davis, A. L. et al. Ultra-black Camouflage in Deep-Sea Fishes. Current Biology 30, 3470-3476.e3 (2020).

  • McCoy, D. E. et al. Structurally assisted super black in colourful peacock spiders. Proc. R. Soc. B. 286, 20190589 (2019).

  • Scholes, E. & Laman, T. G. Distinctive courtship phenotype of the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise Lophorina niedda Mayr, 1930 confirms new species status. PeerJ 6, e4621 (2018).

  • McCoy, D. E., Feo, T., Harvey, T. A. & Prum, R. O. Structural absorption by barbule microstructures of super black bird of paradise feathers. Nat Commun 9, 1 (2018).

  • Gilchrist, A. Seeing in Black & White. Sci Am 18, 30–37 (2008).

  • MIT engineers develop “blackest black” material to date. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology https://news.mit.edu/2019/blackest-black-material-cnt-0913.

  • McCoy, D. Super-black feathers can absorb virtually every photon of light that hits them. The Conversation http://theconversation.com/super-black-feathers-can-absorb-virtually-every-photon-of-light-that-hits-them-89689.