Bio-inspired photonics or bio-inspired optical materials are the application of biomimicry (the use of natural models, systems, and elements for human innovations) to the field of photonics (the science and application of light generation, detection, and manipulation). This differs slightly from biophotonics which is the study and manipulation of light to observe its interactions with biology. One area that inspiration may be drawn from is structural color, which allows color to appear as a result of the detailed material structure. Other inspiration can be drawn from both static and dynamic camouflage in animals like the chameleon or some cephalopods. Scientists have also been looking to recreate the ability to absorb light using molecules from various plants and microorganisms. Pulling from these heavily evolved constructs allows engineers to improve and optimize existing photonic technologies, whilst also solving existing problems within this field. History One of the earliest encounters with biological photonics was as early as the 6th century B.C.E (before common era). The Greek philosopher Anaximander, widely regarded as the first scientist, had a student named Anaximenes, who had the first documented mention of bioluminescence. He described seeing a glow in the water when striking it with an oar. Similarly, Aristotle also experienced the same phenomena, which he documented in works like Meteorologica and De Coloribus. He mentions seeing "things which are neither fire nor forms of fire seem to produce light by nature." Although it was experienced that early, there was still no explanation to why it was occurring. It was not until the early microscopes, utilized by Robert Hooke in the mid-1600s, that allowed humans to observe nature in greater detail. Hooke himself published what he had seen in the text Micrographia in 1665. Here he describes various biological structures such as the feathers of colorful birds, wing and eyes of flies, and pearlescent scales of silverfish. This ability to look at the microstructures of nature, gave scientists information on the mechanisms behind the interactions between biology and light. The Theorie of Imperfection, published by the Russian biophysicist Zhuralev and American biochemist Seliger, is the first working hypothesis about the ultra-weak emission of photons by biological systems. Further developments in microscopy, like scanning electron microscopy (SEM), only increased this and would allow scientists to mimic these observed structures. In addition, the concept of biomimicry was spurred by many scientist including Leonardo da Vinci. He spent a great deal of