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There’s no such thing as a fake feather
There’s no such thing as a fake feather
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0:00
These are the cheapest feathers I could
0:01
find at the craft store and they're all
0:03
from real birds. Hi, I'm Lisa and this
0:06
is Minute Earth. In addition to being an
0:09
illustrator here, I love making
0:11
costumes. Generally, I look for cheap
0:13
materials. Fake hair, fake leather, fake
0:16
fur, you name it. And these are all made
0:19
of plastic. But cheap feathers are all
0:21
100% real. One reason all craft feathers
0:25
are real, though not the main one, is
0:26
that there are lots of real feathers out
0:28
there that need a job. Every chicken,
0:30
turkey, and duck that ends up in a
0:32
sandwich once had a whole lot of
0:34
feathers, which can be used for
0:36
insulation in blankets and coats, or
0:38
they can be dyed fun colors and used for
0:40
boas and fans. And because all birds
0:43
naturally mold their feathers throughout
0:44
their lives, even fancier feathers, like
0:46
those from ostriches and peacocks, are
0:49
pretty easy to come by. But the bigger
0:51
reason we don't make fake feathers is
0:52
that we cannot convincingly replicate
0:54
real feathers with plastic, which is
0:57
often the easiest and cheapest way to
0:59
make fake stuff. Fake leather is just
1:01
flattened plastic adhered to fabric
1:03
that's both cheap and a pretty
1:05
believable imitation of real leather.
1:07
The same goes for fake hair. Plastic can
1:09
be stretched into long wiry strands for
1:11
wigs. Now, let's be real. It doesn't
1:13
fool people who work with it. I use
1:15
plastic hair in costumes all the time,
1:17
and it is best from a distance. Anyway,
1:20
if you attempted to mold a feather out
1:22
of plastic, it would end up looking more
1:24
like a leaf. It would be cheap, but not
1:27
feathery at all. And that's because a
1:28
feather's featheriness is the result of
1:30
incredible structural complexity. Like
1:33
this feather is tipped with thousands of
1:35
microscopic velcro-like hooks and
1:36
barbules that enable the feather to
1:38
essentially zip up a lot like an actual
1:40
zipper. This is what makes feathers
1:42
waterproof and flightw worthy, but also
1:45
what makes them look and feel like
1:46
feathers. On top of that, a mold would
1:49
produce a fake feather with a solid core
1:51
of plastic. While the core of a real
1:53
feather has a sponge-like structure with
1:55
lots of air pockets, making the feather
1:57
as light as, well, a feather. Even a
2:00
feather's iridesence is the result of
2:02
microscopic structural complexity. The
2:04
keratin at the surface of the feather
2:06
can act like a prism, bending light and
2:08
giving the feather a translucent shine.
2:10
Some of these itty bitty structures can
2:12
be as small as 10 micrometers, which are
2:15
too intricate to replicate with a
2:17
plastic mold. There are artists and
2:19
engineers out there using creative
2:21
materials and methods to make super cool
2:23
fake feathers, but the best ones are
2:26
time-conuming and challenging to make.
2:28
For now, mass-producing feathers is
2:30
still for the birds.
2:33
As the year comes to a close, we want to
2:35
thank you for all of your incredible
2:37
support. As you know, it's been
2:38
challenging for science and science
2:40
communicators. And one of the major
2:42
reasons we've been able to survive and
2:44
thrive is because you've been watching,
2:46
commenting, and subscribing. I also want
2:48
to give an extra special thanks to those
2:50
of you in our Patreon community over at
2:52
patreon.com/minuteear.
2:54
We are so grateful. Happy holidays.
