The photonics of natural systems

A broad range of structural architecture may be found in natural systems. This structure has developed for a variety of reasons, through many different ecological, physiological and material selection pressures. However, when its dimension ranges from tens to hundreds of nanometers, it invariably results in strong optical phenomena. Numerous studies, many of which have been done recently, have sought to discover and characterise the photonics associated with a diverse range of natural specimens. Many of them have revealed system designs that have evolved and existed naturally and that were, until their discovery in nature, thought to have been the recent product of technological innovation.