Blue: The Science and Secrets of Nature's Rarest Color: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color

by Kai Kupferschmidt

What is it about the color blue?

Blue is our favorite color globally—the darling of artists since the time of the pharaohs. So it’s startling to turn to the realms of nature and discover that“true” blue is truly rare. The sea and sky are blue, but we can’t bottle this trick of physics. And the few creatures, plants, and minerals that appear blue are almost all deceiving us. There’s no blue pigment in a blue jay—it would be brown but for how its feathers distort light.Kai Kupferschmidt has been enraptured by blue since childhood. In Blue, he invites readers on his globe-trotting quest to understand his favorite color— from Kyoto, where scientists are trying to engineer a blue rose, to Brandenburg, where conservationists hope to save the “little blue macaw.” Deep underground where blue crystals grow and miles overhead where astronauts gaze at our “blue marble” planet-wherever he finds this alluring color, it has a story to tell.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Art, History, Audiobook, Biology

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Er ist ein deutscher Wissenschaftsjournalist.

Wikipedia info: Kai Kupferschmidt

Reviews

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The color blue stands at an odd crossroad. Art, physics, philosophy, geology, botany and physiology all converge here. Art was the road I took to get to this book.

In People of the Book, the artist uses a pigment made from precious lapis lazuli. The best stones were mined in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush. Transforming the stone into pigment is a laborious process. Add to that the cost of transportation. Albrecht Dȕrer (1471-1528) complained to his patron about the price of the pigment, which became known as ultramarine (across the seas).

There were attempts to develop a cheaper alternative. Smalt is a pigment derived from cobalt ore. Azurite is a stone containing copper ore. Unfortunately, the blues from these materials was unstable. The author cites the dark green robe enveloping the Madonna in Raphael's “Madonna and Child Entronged with Saints,” owned by the New York Metropolitan Museum. Raphael used an azurite derived pigment. Once a brilliant blue, it has changed due to oxidation.

Color, it turns out, is in the eye of the beholder. A color spectrum of different wave lengths was revealed by Isaac Newton's prism. In the human eye, some five million cone cells respond differently to different wave lengths. They respond unevenly to red, blue and green (actually blue-violet, yellow-green and emerald green). The electrical signals they produce enable us to see color. All of this is discussed in detail in the chapter “Seeing.”

Compared to other colors, blue in animals is rare. Exceptions like the peacock therefore excite attention. Robert Hooke examined a peacock feather under the microscope. He found that color appeared to reside in minute structures called barbules, but that these colors changed depending on the angle of observation. Furthermore, when he put water on the feather the colors disappeared. What was happening? The barbules were composed of structures only a few hundred nanometers in size and stacked unevenly. Wave interference cancelled some colors and augmented others. This is the basis of what Hooke called “structural color.” The blue in a peacock feather is a structural color, not a pigment.

John Keats complained that Newton had destroyed the poetry of the rainbow with his prism. Contrary to Keats' complaint, science has heightened our appreciation of the mystique of blue. It doesn't answer why Hume chose blue to frame his “missing color” question, but it does suggest the roots of our instinctive fascination with the color, with both its allure and its fragility. “Science....reveals connections where we do not suspect any, until we discern the blue of a butterfly's wing in the shimmer of a soap bubble; the blue of lapis lazuli in a painting in a museum; or the blue of the sky in a friend's blue eyes.” (p.11)

NOTES
The structure of this book reminded me somewhat of James Burke's documentary series “Connections”
which made for an interesting but non-sequential read.

The book was originally published in German in 2019 and translated into English by Mike Mitchell

I wish I had read this book before reading Christopher Moore's “Sacré Bleu". I would have appreciated it more.

a closeup of the Madonna's robe, painted with azurite blue: http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/i...

Finally, I read the ebook through Hoopla. I don't know whose fault it was, but the right hand margin cut off approximately 3 characters of each line, which was a bit annoying.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue is rare. A look at the sky contradicts this, but if you take a closer look around, we quickly see that we rarely come across blue in the animal and plant world. Since time immemorial, people have been looking for unique blue stones and dyes that transform textiles, porcelain or paintings. Because blue has always had a magical fascination for us. Be it the romantics' search for the blue flower or the wondrous blue colouring of bird feathers. Kai Kupferschmidt succumbed to this fascination as a child and it has been with him all his life.

To find out the secret of this colour, he embarked on a journey from Japan to a volcanic lake in Oregon and the last specimens of the Spix's Macaw in Brandenburg. Stones, plants, animals or the remote view from space on our blue planet are evidence of immeasurable beauty, which is then reflected in our speaking and writing. But everything begins with light and our vision. A fascinating, vivid and interesting romp through the history of the colour blue and its scarcity throughout the natural world. Highly recommended.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding science writing

Kai Kupferschmidt created a wonderful, well-written book. I loved it. I would not have thought that a book on a single color could be so interesting and fun to read. He puts his journey into the story, which I love. He explains science clearly and thoroughly, but the book contains so much more. There is a lot of history and some beautiful art. The book was originally published in German but the translation is outstanding. Indeed, I did not know it was a translation until I searched for some background on Kupferschmidt. This is the type of science writing that will have broad appeal and that there should be more of. Thank you to NetGalley and The Experiment for the advance reader copy.

[Elentarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, accessible and nicely written survey of almost everything blue: from rocks and pigments, to artificial dyes, how light works, blue plants and animals, the perception of blue, and blue in language, art and literature.

[Rachel (Kalanadi) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color by Kai Kupferschmidt is a very highly recommended well-balanced historical, societal, and scientific examination of the color blue.

The color blue is special. It is the favorite color of many people. We see it in the sky and the ocean. Blue is unique in nature and causes pause and awe when we discovered it by happenstance in rocks, birds, and flowers. It is captured in art and crafts but it is also a rare color in the natural world. The color blue and how we see it can be explained through physics, chemistry, and biology, but our reaction to it is personal. Kupferschmidt sets out in Blue to explain the color through science, but also follow the historical and natural appearance of the color. The art world has long searched for a blue pigment to use in painting.

True blue is rare. Ancient Egyptians perfected the first blue ceramic glaze and it was revered. Civilizations have continually looked for a source of the color blue. Interestingly enough, Kupferschmidt first introduces us to chemist Mas Subramanian, a chemist who in 2009 created the first new blue pigment in 200 years. The color was immediately lauded by industries and artists. It is called "Yin Min" based on its components: yttrium oxide, indium oxide, and manganese oxide. There have been other discoveries of blue, for example indigo from India and Prussian blue which is also a created pigment.

Kupferschmidt covers the world in his quest to find blue, follow the various uses of blue in societies, and explain scientifically the how and why of the color. The chemistry of blue and the various ways people have tried to create it is covered. He also follows how humans versus other animals see blue biologically. And then there is the long quest to develop a blue rose.

If you enjoy excellent scientific writing, you will relish this book. The photographs are gorgeous. (My review edition didn't have color photos and I immediately went online to find photos to see everything blue mentioned. The photos make an excellent case to buy a copy of the book.) There is a table of blues and where they occur in animal, vegetable and mineral. What made my heart beat faster was the fact that: "While we’ve been up here on the planet’s surface, doing everything we can for thousands of years to produce new blue pigments from Earth’s minerals, there is - below our feet, unimaginable and inaccessible - a gigantic reservoir of blue stone." What a wonderful, awe-inspiring fact. Originally published in Germany as Blau, the English edition was translated by Mike Mitchell.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of The Experiment in exchange for my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/0...

[Karel Baloun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection of well integrated popular science essays that truly will appeal to so many types of people. In just 190 easy to read pages, Kai taught me a lot about the history, physics and chemistry of color. For the first time I truly understand why my father’s eyes looked so blue.

Very few animals have blue pigment, but they appear blue to us because of "structural color" through the physics of light refraction by nanoscale structures. Blue pigments are historically rare, expensive and complicated. Amazing stuff, and relevant to all other colors, and many areas of knowledge.

My favorite and least expected chapter was on language, including implications for the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Stick through the slow start.

Revealing the author's care for his lifelong obsession, the book is beautifully crafted, and the selected images are delightful. The conclusion adds a surprising personal story, and is prefectly appropriate. Some people try to separate art and science, and the culture and history that permeate both.. this book dispels such folly and brings the best of everything.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that looks at the author's fascination with the colour blue. He travels the world, talking to scientists and others, and gives a look at various aspects of blue: from objects with the colour to how we look at and react to blue.

- "Stones" looks at how blue appears in stones and combinations of minerals. Lapis lazuli is known to be blue since ancient times and used for decorations. The Egyptians eventually figured out how to make Egyptian blue tiles. By grinding, heating and combining lapis lazuli with other substances, ultramarine blue was produced, a colour more valuable than its weight in gold. The act of alchemy would produce the next blue substance, Prussian blue. In modern days, a vivid blue would be accidentally created: YInMn Blue. And maybe one day, the mineral ringwoodlite that makes up much of the mantle is the earth could give another way to make blue.

- "Seeing" looks at how we see colour, especially blue. Starting with the electromagnetic spectrum of visible light, he goes into the fine cells in eyes that let us see colour and why we see colour better than other mammals, but worse than birds and insects. He then shows how other cells in the eye are affected by blue light (even blind people), which is why blue light may set our daily rhythms, hence the movement to reduce blue light at night. A look at colour illusions (like the infamous blue dress image) are given. A brief look at the philosophical question of why we 'see' blue is also given.

- "Plants" looks at how plants produce blue. From the mystery of why plants are green, the author then shows the challenges of producing blue flowers in plants. People in the past (and chemistry researchers today) have looked at pigments produced by plants to colour clothes and food. While red and yellow pigments are common, pigments for blue are rare and highly sought after. Producing a blue rose is also a target that is yet to succeed (although blue chrysanthemums have been produced). In the past, indigo was a popular blue dye, but now artificial dyes are common.

- "Speaking" looks at how language affects how we refer to blue. Gladstone once had a theory that ancient Greeks couldn't perceive blue to explain why the word for blue is not used. But further studies would show that it is an effect of how language develops words for colours instead. Other studies would show that in a small way, having words to refer to different shades of blue can have an effect on whether people can more easily see shapes and shades of blue in experiments.

- "Animals" looks at how animals use blue. Besides pigment, animals produce blue through the careful creation of structures that mainly reflect blue light. Harder to explain was why animals use blue, or colours in general. It was initially thought that colour was used just for camouflage. Later on, the idea that colours are used as a warning signal emerged. Then came the idea that colour is also used as a signal for fitness in mate selection. Unfortunately, humans preferences and desires for blue animals have driven some species to the edge of extinction.

[Ma'Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some reason I expected this to be much more gripping and fascinating. I don't think it was originally written in English (German is the author's mother tongue), so the translation might have had something to do with the text feeling more drab gray than cobalt blue. It reads like a linear niche chemistry history and rarely offers compelling tales of our relationship to the color blue.

Interestingly enough, I had an experience at age 20 that was quite relevant to this book! I traveled to Germany and, while staying with my friend Achim, we went to the countryside and spent a day and night at his 10 year high school anniversary. It was hosted by a classmate whose family was much more wealthy, and I remember that young man pointing out the primary source of that wealth: his father was a pharmacist, which it seems is much more like a chemist in Germany, and in the 80s he developed and patented a particular kind of blue. They had a large framed poster in their den area depicting a blonde babe with very big 80s hair, in a bright blue one-piece bathing suit, on a sailboat, with blue ocean surrounding in the background. At the time I had never conceived of such a thing, and that is probably why the memory is so vivid nearly 20 years later. I found it to be a strange coincidence that, during that trip to France, Germany, and Poland, several of the friends I stayed with had pharmacist fathers. Anyway, I just got a brand new, BRIGHT BLUE mousepad at work, and now I will hold more appreciation for that exquisite color.

Also, two summers ago I learned to scuba dive off the coast of Honduras, and learned some of the science behind different colors seen (or UNSEEN in some important cases) at various depths of ocean. I saw firsthand an octopus, at night, on the ocean floor, rapidly change its color from blue to orange and probably a million other shades my eyes couldn't catch. I would be much more interested in a shorter book focusing exclusively on the ways *animals* use the color blue. That is covered towards the end of the book, but first I had to trudge through a lot of boring chemistry and the history of different people trying to synthesize chemical structures that can maintain a valuable blue hue for commercial purposes.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll never look at blue the same way. Although the physics and chemistry behind the color blue (or, really any color) go "whooosh" over my head, this book was very interesting when the author talked about blue in nature and history and how differently blue is perceived among different cultures. And, still, after all these years, the blue/black or white/gold dress phenomenon still blows my mind - even after reading the explanation behind it. (I see a white/gold dress)

"Whoa, a blue car" - Homer Simpson

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected. Great if you are into chemistry and biology. Did a lot of skimming and skipping. Best chapters were on blue found in plants and animals but he never mentions Bluebonnets or Bluebells.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up randomly on a library trip, and what a pleasant surprise this was! This is a book that spans a collection of topics, from geology, chemistry, biology, world history, art history and even linguistics, all focused on the color blue and the authors scientific obsession with it. It never dives terribly deep into any of the topics (though if I had to slot this into a certain topic, I’d say it focuses most on chemistry), but it makes up for its lack of depth in being an easy and fun read. There was also a bittersweet moment at the end of the book that ties a lot of the authors own feelings toward the color together, wrapping everything up in a concise but highly enjoyable scientific book. I read the entire thing in one sitting, and it’s not very long, so if you’re interested in a topic that has a lot more to it than meets the eye, give this a shot.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is divided into categories: Stones, Seeing, Plants, Speaking, and Animals. If you have considered this book, there is likely a section you will enjoy more than others. The "Speaking" section amazed me. But the final section, Here Was Blue, nearly made me late for work. Three powerful pages stirred a sense of wonder and awe in my soul. These last three pages changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars.

[Kat V · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m interested but I was hoping for something with a little more evolution and biology instead of art history, rocks, and paint. Ok the plants chapter is a bit more along the lines of what I’m looking for. Animals chapter is good too. 3.4 stars.

[Ellen Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book absolutely fascinating. It’s part history, part philosophy, part chemistry, and it’s all beautiful. I mean, have you *seen* the shade of YInMn blue? Anyway, this has made me see colours (especially blue) in a completely new light.

[Lacy Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating deep dive.

[julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating survey of the science, history, and art of the color blue.

[Aaron Chrusniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem that I wasn't looking for, but is right up my alley. Full of very interesting bits on color, pigments, chemistry, history and even life.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little primer on the subject - could have been more exhaustive

[Alexia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite how much science talk there was, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was fascinating, even if I didn't fully comprehend everything.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only the page edges are saturated with a deep blue but the color permeates each chapter divider even as the author changes the overall source of this intense color.

The book starts out with blue stones - lapis, ultramarine and azurite which in many cases were ground down to powder and used as pigments in paintings over the centuries. The newest shade of brightest, most brilliant blue created by chemistry called YInMn blue or Oregon Blue discovered in 2009.

Then we're off to prisms and visible light. How we see blue and all the other visible colors.

Over to plants which has to include work on the blue roses. He repeatedly goes back to the delicately blue cornflower which has the pigments that scientists are trying to inject into the rose genome. The intense purple of blueberries and of all things - what does blue taste like? And more information on the different color pigments in plants.

Speaking and colorful language. Some languages actually lack words for specific colors. When you have been living your entire life where the land is black, brown, gray and white as are some of the harsh environments on Earth and the only blue is the sky, there is no difference between the word for sky and the word for blue.
On the other hand, there are languages that have basic color distinctions - some 2 0r 3. English has eleven basic color words. Russian and Greek have separate words for light and dark blues

Animals which use color for natural selection or selection of mates. Can animals distinguish beauty? Or is it more? The blue footed boobie males have brighter blue feet when recently fed. A 'honest signal' that the male can provide for offspring? The best fed blue grosbecks have the brightest and bluest feathers. And then there are the so-called blue freaks - like blue lobsters which due to their rarity, are usually tossed back or sold to an aquarium, museum or zoo where the opportunity to breed is higher than the conventional blue-green or green-brown.

2021-224

[coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. This was a really interesting read. I did a project on the color orange before so know how muddy color history can be and getting to find out that even one of the most popular colors isn't exempt from this was fun. We got to learn about blue via science and from multiple perspectives: how it's found in nature, it's use (or not) in literature, its identification in cultures and language, mutations, its many meanings, etc.

[Judy Aulik · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem of a book! In parts scientifically dense; in others, philosophical or philological, this is a must read for anyone who loves their colorful world.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Blue! I don't even know how to properly praise this book and its enthusiastic author - he's brilliant and knowledgeable, and trying to explain complicated science to me is not easy. But listening I felt I understood what he was saying!

Bottomline, I've been right all along. Blue is precious. It is rare and we are so lucky our eyes can see it, perceive it and choose it in a lineup. I did get rather wistful about those colors that others creatures see that we do not even get to taste, see, smell or touch.

Oh the wonder of our senses, and how grateful I am to be able to see colors. Especially that precious peacock blue. . .

[Chia-Chia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

[Lisa Konet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A re-read in color and not by Netgalley shelf. SO MUCH BETTER!! LOVED IT!

I found this book to be fascinating, enchanting and very informative. Can anyone recall all of the blue animal, plants, etc in nature? Are there some we do not know that exist and are unseen. Anything blue sticks right out. This book delves in to all these questions and more, and I was pleasantly surprised just how well it was written and organized. The did their homework and laid out all their findings and insights well and left the reader with a factual and insightful gem. A quick read.

I highly recommend this for anyone interested in the color blue as well as for people who enjoy nature or a good nonfiction book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley, Kair Kuperferschmidt and The Experiment for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/8/21

[LaBae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue is an enigma. It does not exist out there nor does it exist within us. It is the right combination of electrical signals and molecules that make the appearance of 'blue'. The cornflower, for instance, is not blue rather it appears blue due to the absorption of red light (sun rays) and the rejection of green light which makes the flower appear blue to human eyes.
This book is amazing and speaks to the appeal of the one topic genre. Kuferschmidt meanders through the complex nature of why things are the way they are and tried best to explain for all to understand. It goes deep into science, anatomy and physics. And ends with the pulling of heart strings. This book- about the color blue- almost made me shed a tear. It is a beautifully blue read!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cerulean dream

This book covers the history of the colour blue, its cultural and emotional significance, how we and other species perceive the colour, its occurrence in the world around us, the science of blue, and artificial pigments.

Told as a quest in pursuit of blue, Kupferschmidt’s globetrotting doesn’t add a huge deal to what is otherwise a thought-provoking and thorough examination of nature’s rarest colour. The writing style lacks warmth, mostly resembling academic texts.

The accompanying photography is stunning.

A beautiful book to look at, rather dry to read, but the raw facts are fascinating.

My thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for the ARC.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blau als Eindruck und Chemie, als Pigment und Gestein, in der Sprache, im Tier- und Pflanzenreich.
Kupferschmidt nähert sich der Farbe wissenschaftlich, historisch und emotional. Gemeinsam mit der Layoutgestaltung entsteht ein Gesamtkunstwerk, das einen gelegentlich erschlägt, so dass nach hundert blau eingefärbten Blatträndern und Überschriften nicht mehr jede zoologische oder botanische Schönheit ihre Wirkung entfaltet. Es fehlt dann der Kontrast. Trotzdem überzeugt das Buch die meiste Zeit und ist, obwohl monochromatisch, dann doch facetten- und lehrreich. Und bewegend, gerade wenn der Autor persönlich wird, wie am Anfang und Schluss des Buches.

[Michaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das ist doch mal ein Sachbuch, bei dem einfach alles stimmt.
Blau erzählt, warum Blau eine so besondere Farbe ist.
Übrigens statistisch gesehen die Lieblingsfarbe der meisten Menschen.
Ich habe viel gelernt, gestaunt und geschmunzelt.
Auch die Gestaltung ist super - ganz in Blau, auch wenn manche Texte blau auf blau nicht immer einfach zu lesen sind.
Ich fühle mich nach der Lektüre bestätigt: Ich liebe Blau und jetzt weiß ich auch, warum.