I think it's so cool we still discover new organisms everyday. I mean, just how much did nature make? Sheesh!
Anyhow, the finger-tip sized Cyphochilus beetle (I'll just call him Snow White) was found in South East Asia. He's just like any other beetle except he is whiter than any other natural material. To date we know how to make white pigment. Certain cephalopods make white by a chemical means. The Snow White beetle makes white by ways of surface structure. His body is covered in scales 10 times smaller than human hair; that's 5 micrometers people!
Upon further inspection, the scales are arranged in highly random 3D structures. The very nature of this design somehow foils light giving the beetle its brilliant white outlook. The design is of particular interests to scientists because humans can make white, but our technology is significantly "thicker" in design. Nature has managed to create the same brilliant "whiteness" without all the bulk. If the beetle's secret can be unlocked, it would lead to a revolution on how color is artificially created; everything from paper to electronic displays.
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