Given today’s technology, we have nearly every color imaginable at our fingertips. But let’s pause to learn about the science of natural colors and why some are actually rarer than others.

The hues we see in plants, animals, and minerals are all driven by two factors: physics and evolution. Most naturally-occurring colors are generated through absorption. This is when wavelengths of light interact with objects. Some waves get absorbed by the object itself and we see only the leftover matte final color.

Discover how nature has evolved, changing our pallet every day, and making some colors scarce.