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What Makes Birds, Beetles, and Bubbles Shine So Beautifully?

Season 11 Episode 3

About the Episode

Why is a soap bubble rainbow? What makes an oil slick beautiful? Iridescent colors, which transform depending on the angle you look at them, are all over nature. How does physics make these shifting rainbows? We’re going to find out with the help of the National Museum of Natural History's most spectacular specimens – from bird feathers and beetle wings to fossils and gemstones.

Aired: 02/27/23 | Expires: | Runtime: 14m 49s