For centuries, humans have relied on pigments to color our products. But a new discovery may change that.

Pigments produce color, ironically, by absorbing light. Chlorophyll, for example, absorbs all colors of the light spectrum except green, which reflects off leaves, making them appear green to our eyes.

Pigments and paints that we manufacture work the same way.

But a few years ago, scientists working to create a perfect mirror out of aluminum noticed that microscopic particles of aluminum oxide clumped on its surface to form dark clouds.

Upon closer inspection, they realized they had created structural color in the oxides.

Structural color can be found in butterfly wings and some feathers, where extremely tiny, even nanoscopic particles determine which wavelengths of light, which colors, reflect back to our eye.

The scientists began experimenting, and by adjusting their process, could produce a multitude of colors.

Their structural-color paint is incredibly lightweight, and the coating incredibly thin.

A few pounds could cover an entire passenger jet—compared to more than a thousand pounds of conventional pigmented paint—saving energy every flight.

What’s more, structural-color paint reflects rather than absorbs heat, which could save huge amounts of energy in cooling and heating.

It’s not commercial yet, but if and when that happens, it could change the way we look at color.