This is a microscope view of the feather structure of the Little Blue penguin. The structure turns out to be pretty important, because it's those tightly packed bundles of fibers that scatter light in just the right way and make the Little Blue penguin appear blue.
This is an important discovery, because learning how birds make color at the nanostructural level may help scientists synthesize artificial colored structures in the lab. Of course, it also has implications for penguin evolution. We are only beginning to understand how the microstructure of feathers affects their function in the air and under water.
The Fossil Penguins blog, via Hectocotyli
