The majority of the 100,000 natural compounds that produce colors are pigments, which can be categorized based on their chemical structure.

Creating a perfect red pigment that is vivid, durable, and nontoxic is likely impossible.

Some organisms' colors come from structural color—tiny structures that distinctly scatter different colors of light, eliminating some while reinforcing others that become visible.

Not all colored materials can become pigments—the process of grinding materials down into smaller particles may destroy the color-producing molecules.

Egg yolks and carrots have the same pigments that contribute to the yellow and orange colors of fall foliage.

The color of bird feathers comes from a combination of pigments and structural color, with the latter enabling some to glow in ultraviolet light.

Organic pigments can be made in a lab or in nature—the term indicates the presence of carbon-hydrogen bonds, not their source.

Violet is the rarest color in nature because it is the most energetically demanding visible light for pigments to reflect and for nanostructures to scatter.

The same pigments that enable photosynthesis—chlorophyll a and b—are also responsible for giving most plants their green color.

Leaves have orange and yellow pigments year-round, but they are masked until the fall, when shorter days reduce the production of chlorophyll, a green pigment.

Cow urine, cuttlefish ink, and burned white lead were among the substances used as pigments throughout history.

Blood can be blue, green, magenta, or transparent due to differences in the oxygen-carrying respiratory pigments they contain.

Some organisms can change color by quickly revealing or hiding various pigments, as seen in octopuses, squids, and other cephalopods.

Paints are primarily made of pigments from rocks, plants, insects, or synthetic sources, combined with binding agents, solvents, and other potential additives for specific purposes.

Humans can distinguish about 10 million colors—a number that is limited by photopigments that only activate when exposed to specific wavelengths of light.

Studies of tattoo inks have identified over 100 pigments, which have historically included toxic metals but now include organic compounds.

From dragon's blood to bone black, explore a timeline of pigments used throughout history, including each pigment's composition, preparation methods, and uses.

Flamingos get their pink color from pigments in their food, but they cannot be any color because their bodies cannot process every type of pigment.

When processing light, the brain can perceive colors with no natural wavelength

Starting with red, colorful objects will appear to lose their colors the deeper they are submerged because water scatters light, reducing the amount available to reflect off objects and be observed.

Lead, arsenic, uranium, and other toxic elements were once used in pigments for producing vibrant colors.

Fossilized pigment granules have enabled scientists to deduce the colors of long-extinct organisms, including dinosaurs.

Virtually all plants are biofluorescent because their photosynthesis is powered by chlorophyll, a pigment that glows red as a way to get rid of excess energy when exposed to ultraviolet light.

The oldest colors in the geological record are bright pink pigments from about 1.1 billion years ago, according to researchers.

Blood color differs across the animal kingdom, with some animals producing blood that appears green (a group of lizards in New Guinea) or blue (horseshoe crabs).

Incinerated skeletons, animal blood, and fermented animal waste were among the ingredients used to make the pigments in some of art history's most famous paintings.

The chlorophyll in plants captures energy in the form of red and blue light

Color originates from the brain processing light of varying wavelengths

View a gallery of plants made to shine using ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence photography, in which organisms re-emit the ultraviolet light they are exposed to in vibrant, glowing colors.

The pharmaceutical industry evolved, in part, from the discovery of synthetic dyes

The RGB color system resembles how quantum chromodynamics models quarks and the strong nuclear force—both quarks and gluons carry color charge.

Bruises go from blue-purple to yellow-green because of a breakdown of hemoglobin—the pigment that carries oxygen throughout the human body.

View a gallery of biofluorescent animals, which contain cells that emit various colors when exposed to ultraviolet light.

Some octopuses change color while they sleep, potentially in response to dreaming about hiding, hunting, or other activities that involve changing color while awake.

Water is naturally tinted with a slight blue, but sediments and organics can alter its color

The five most common chemicals found in modern food

Watch how the rich blue pigment YInMn, also known as MasBlue, is created from three silver metals: yttrium, indium, and manganese.

Molecules derived from algae can be found in foods such as ice cream, salad dressings, brownie mix, and gravies, as well as in products such as toothpaste, multivitamins, and egg substitutes.

Instead of consuming water and carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and sugar, anoxygenic photosynthesis involves alternative reactants and products.

Discover the chemistry behind smoking foods, including the types of smoking and the source of smoking flavors and colors.

Blacklights can illuminate certain biological materials, including blood, teeth, and fingernails, because they contain fluorophores—molecules that visibly glow immediately after exposure to higher-energy light.

Coral reefs get their colors from zooxanthellae—photosynthetic algae that line corals' digestive tracts and provide them with sugars in exchange for a home.

The world's oldest known synthetic pigment—Egyptian blue—was created about 5,000 years ago.

Sunsets can exhibit a greater variety of colors due to a greater range of cloud heights and atmospheric composition.

Colored diamonds result from elemental impurities, structural deformities, and exposure to radiation.

Explore the chemical compounds found in fireworks

Chameleons change color by altering the spacing of nanocrystals under their skin, which changes what colors of light are absorbed and reflected.

Melanin and light scattering contribute to different eye colors

Tannins contribute to a wine's composition

Breaking down sunlight and why the sun appears yellow despite emitting green light the most

Scientists can tag distinct proteins with fluorescent probes that emit different colors, allowing them to visualize multiple biochemical processes simultaneously.