Many beetles, butterflies, and birds shine with brilliant iridescent colors. One leading example is the Chrysina gloriosa (glorius scarab) beetle. Also called the jeweled beetle, it has a shiny metallic green shell which has been used for centuries as a component in jewelry. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have explored how this small beetle produces such stunning color. They find that the insect’s surface is covered with a liquid crystal structure. Such material has physical properties that overlap between liquids and solids, displaying unusual optical behavior. The beetle shell surface is covered with transparent layers which reflect specific colors of light. The scarab beetle produces the intense colors yellow and green with wavelengths of 580 and 530 nanometers. The surface layers of the beetle also produce a circular polarization of the reflected light, a complex light-shaping feature which is displayed by certain spiders, insects, and migratory birds.