Fun Fact! Is the Sky really blue?

Coloured Balls (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

We interpret different wavelengths into color. In the retina we have cells called cones and rods. The cones are what allow us to see in color and we have three types that pick up three different wavelengths: red, blue, green. Our brain determines the color by comparing the different wavelengths. Some people have mutations in their chromosomes to where they develop nonfunctioning cones, which is where color blindness/deficiency can come from. Other species have different ratios of cones and rods or are lacking in certain cones or have extra. This is a fun topic and not a common one that people think about.

Are you color blind/deficient? Is there anything else you would like me to mention? Or did I get something horribly wrong? Let me know because I also like to learn.

Sources

• Kim Cooper, CJ Kazilek. (2009, September 27). Seeing Color. ASU - Ask A Biologist. (08/01/2013) http://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/seeing-color
• Douma, M., curator. (2008). Seeing Color. In Cause of Color. (08/01/2013) http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/3.html.