colour – סלומה

TIL
that we don’t see pure black when we close our eyes, we see a color
named Eigengrau and although there are a few theories as to what causes
it nobody’s quite sure. via ift.tt

25% of the people have a 4th cone and see colors as they are

Given the sudden interest for the color of dresses and vision, here some of the fascinating findings we did recently.

The color nuances we see depend on the number and distribution of
cones (=color receptors) in our eye. You can check this rainbow: how
many color nuances do you count?

You see less than 20 color nuances: you are a dichromats, like dogs,
which means you have 2 types of cones only. You are likely to wear
black, beige, and blue. 25% of the population is dichromat.

You see between 20 and 32 color nuances: you are a trichromat, you
have 3 types of cones (in the purple/blue, green and red area). You
enjoy
different colors as you can appreciate them. 50% of the population is
trichromat.

You see between 33 and 39 colors: you are a
tetrachromat, like bees, and have 4 types of cones (in the purple/blue,
green, red plus yellow area). You are irritated by yellow, so this color
will be nowhere to be found in your wardrobe. 25% of the population is
tetrachromat.

You see more than 39 color nuances: come on, you are
making up things! there are only 39 different colors in the test and
probably only 35 are properly translated by your computer screen anyway
🙂

It is highly probable that people who have an additional 4th
cone do not get tricked by blue/black or white/gold dresses, no matter
the background light 😉 (x)

Wasps creating colored nests when given construction paper by amateur zoologist
Mattia Menchetti.
Menchetti gradually introduced a variety of coloured paper to this European wasp colony

at let them create this vibrant nests.

Today the Department of Phenomenal Papercraft delves into the world of entomological
artwork. Paper wasps gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems and
mix them with their saliva to create a gray or brown papery material
which they use to construct their water-resistant nests. When Italian biological science student Mattia Menchetti provided a captive colony of European paper wasps with colored paper, the insects created awesomely colorful nests.

“He started by feeding his captive wasps yellow paper,
and then gradually began introducing more shades. The insects soon
created a technicolor home for their larvae. In addition to making for
some unusual eye candy, the nest is sturdy as well. A protein in the
saliva of European paper wasps is so effective in making their nests
waterproof that it’s been used by scientists for a biodegradable drone.”