Nanopinguine | Nanopenguins

Here, we report a new biophotonic nanostructure in the non-iridescent blue feather barbs of blue penguins (Eudyptula minor) composed of parallel β-keratin nanofibres organized into densely packed bundles. Synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering and two-dimensional Fourier analysis of electron micrographs of the barb nanostructure revealed short-range order in the organization of fibres at the appropriate size scale needed to produce the observed colour by coherent scattering. These two-dimensional quasi-ordered penguin nanostructures are convergent with similar arrays of parallel collagen fibres in avian and mammalian skin, but constitute a novel morphology for feathers. The identification of a new class of β-keratin nanostructures adds significantly to the known mechanisms of colour production in birds and suggests additional complexity in their self-assembly.
Liliana D'Alba, Vinodkumar Saranathan, Julia A. Clarke, Jakob A. Vinther, Richard O. Prum and Matthew D. Shawkey in Biology Letters, rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/

Bindegewebsproteine sorgen nicht nur für Festigkeit. Zumindest bei Zwergpinguinen dient das Hornprotein Keratin auch zur Färbung, haben amerikanische Forscher entdeckt. Das Gefieder der Tiere enthält ganze Bündel von Keratinsträngen, in denen durch Lichtbrechung der typische blaue Farbton zustande kommt. scienceticker.info/2011/02/09/nanofasern-faerben-pinguin/