• Question: Can we see every colour or are there some colours that humans cannot see?

    Asked by Taz to Deborah, Euan, Maheen, Rob, Stu on 13 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Deborah Prunty

      Deborah Prunty answered on 13 Jun 2016:

      Colours are just different frequencies of light. Light is the small part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can see. It stretches out from x rays to microwaves. If we can think about it that way then yes, there are thousands of colours that humans can’t see!

    • Photo: Rob Stanley

      Rob Stanley answered on 14 Jun 2016:

      Some animals and people have an extra colour receptor in their eyes, they have four when normally humans have 3). This lets them see colours that we can’t see (different ones for different animals).

      The other interesting fact I know is that bees can see in ultraviolet, and flowers make attractive ultraviolet patterns to attract them, which we can’t see.

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