Today is International Colour Day: 10 facts about colour.
Most people can see about 10 million colours. There is, however, a genetic mutation found only in women which allows perception of up to 100 million colours. Women with the mutation are called tetrachromats, and the reason they can see more colours is because the mutation gives them four colour cones in their Eyes, instead of the usual three.
Women in general are better at perceiving Red and Orange tones. Researchers at the University of Arizona discovered the ability to see red comes from a gene that is attached to the X chromosome. Since women have two X chromosomes, the two copies of these genes means that they can see a lot more orange-red tones than men.
Colour blindness is more common in men for the same reason. However, there is an up side to being colour blind, and possibly it was once an evolutionary advantage. People who are colour blind can see better at night. According to the US Army, they can even perceive camouflage colours which makes them better equipped to spot hidden enemies.
When they are first born, babies cannot see colour. They see the world in Black and White first of all and their ability to see colour develops by the time they are five months old. The first colour a baby sees is red.
The ability to see colours can also be affected by one’s native language. There are some tribal languages in Africa which use the same word for Green and Blue, and speakers find it hard to distinguish between those colours. Also in Russian, light blue and dark blue are completely different colours.
There is a name for the colour you see when you first close your eyes or turn lights off. It’s called eigengrau.
Scientists have found that it is easier to remember images in colour than it is to remember black and white images.
Blue is the most common favourite colour worldwide, followed by Purple. The least favourites are orange, Brown, and Yellow.
Colours affect perception using other senses. The perception of how something tastes differs according to the colour of the plate or mug in which it is served. In one experiment, participants were given hot chocolate in orange, cream, red, and white mugs. Participants thought the hot chocolate served in the orange and cream mugs tasted better. The sense of smell can be affected, too, with red and Pink shades specifically associated with fruity fragrances, and oranges and browns with musty ones. Even your perception of time is affected. There was a study in which people had to look at different coloured screens while waiting for a computer download. The people looking at blue screens believed the download was quicker than the people looking at a red screen believed it was.
A rare sensory condition known as synaesthesia means some people see numbers, letters, or days of the week, as colours.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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