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color vision

Image shows 2 samples of urine under uv light.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·April 16, 2016·5 min read

A New System for Color Vision

Researchers have discovered a mechanism of color vision that could answer long standing questions, such as why a dimly lit night sky has a bluish cast.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·May 16, 2024·5 min read

Brain Circuit for Color Perception Identified

Researchers have identified the specific brain circuits in fruit flies responsible for color perception. These neurons within the optic lobe respond selectively to various hues, including those perceived as violet and ultraviolet by humans.

Image shows a chicken pecking at two orange cones.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·June 17, 2016·3 min read

Color Vision Helps Birds Find Good Food and the Right Partner

According to researchers, color vision is vital for chickens to find good food and the right mating partner.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·October 1, 2026·6 min read

Computational Model Decodes Color Vision Variability

A new computational model reveals why modern wide-gamut displays look different to different viewers due to retinal cone variability and lens aging.

This shows a drawing of an eye surrounded with different colors

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 22, 2022·4 min read

Could We Train Our Brains to See New Colors?

Researchers question if our brains can take in three primary color inputs and turn them into the range of different colors we can see, could a little bit more mental work result in us unlocking different hues?

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Visual Neuroscience

·October 14, 2018·6 min read

Dish Grown Human Retinas Explain How Color Vision Develops

Using human retinal tissue grown from stem cells, researchers shed light on how color vision develops. The study found thyroid hormones dictated whether the cells became blue, green or red photoreceptors.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Visual Neuroscience

·February 18, 2019·3 min read

Heavy Smoking Can Damage Vision

A new study reports those who smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day have a reduced ability to discriminate contrast and colors compared to non smokers.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology Visual Neuroscience

·June 14, 2017·5 min read

How Detecting Social Signals May Have Affected How We See Colors

A new study reports the photoreceptors in our eyes allow us to detect socially significant color variations better than other types of color vision.

This shows neurons in the fly visual cortex

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Visual Neuroscience

·January 12, 2020·5 min read

How do fruit flies see in color?

Researchers have identified a circuit in the brains of fruit flies, which enables them to see in color. The network is similar to that which allows human color vision. The findings could help in the development of AI technologies.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·January 11, 2024·4 min read

How Human Retinas Create a Colorful World

In a groundbreaking study using lab-grown human retinas, researchers unveil the process behind our ability to see millions of colors, a trait unique to humans. The findings challenge previous beliefs and demonstrate how retinoic acid plays a crucial role in determining whether specialized cone cells sense red or green light.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology Visual Neuroscience

·April 23, 2025·9 min read

Human Eyes See New Color “Olo” for the First Time

Scientists have created a technology called Oz that stimulates individual photoreceptor cells in the human eye to create an entirely new, ultra-saturated color never seen in nature—dubbed olo. Using microdoses of laser light, Oz activates specific combinations of cone cells to generate this vivid blue-green hue, which vanishes the moment the precision targeting is disrupted.