QUIRKY WORLD ... Scientific discovery may lead to fade-proof paint and clothing

ENGLAND:  Scientists have worked out why birds do not go grey as they age — a discovery they say could lead to a new generation of fade-proof paint and clothing.

A team from Sheffield University looked at how the colours are created in the blue-and-white feathers of the jay and found they come from the way they are structured rather than the pigments that colour human hair. The researchers found that instead of using dyes that would fade over time, the birds use well-controlled changes to the nano- structure to create their vividly coloured feathers, which are possibly used for jays to recognise one another.

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