Light stimulates the visual nerve, is the real color really as we see it?

When you open your eyes, you are sure to see a wide variety of colors. The red of flags and tomatoes, the orange of carrots and oranges, the yellow of sunflowers and lemons, the green of plant leaves and hats, the blue of the sky and the sea, the purple of grapes and lavender, the white of clouds and milk, the black that has lost all color. Our world is multi-colored, surrounded by all kinds of colors, attracted by all kinds of colors.

Is everything in color as you see it? Is the world the colors we see? Is it true what we say that seeing is believing? Sometimes, I ask myself such questions. The reason is very simple, and after you read this article and understand the principle of color, perhaps you should ask yourself the same question.

First of all, let's talk about visible light. We know that light belongs to both particles and electromagnetic waves, visible light is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be perceived by the human eye, with a wavelength range between 380nm and 780nm. Those wavelengths before 380nm and after 780nm are infrared and ultraviolet rays and waves that we cannot see. And no matter what wavelength of light the reason why the human eye can see colors, but only visible light is absorbed in other objects and then reflected, received by the visual cells in the eye, the brain processing the results obtained. Or is the visible range of electromagnetic radiation to stimulate the visual nerve caused by a feeling (the other range of electromagnetic radiation does not produce stimulation of the visual nerve feeling)?

In other words, the light from the light source after a series of absorption before reaching the eye. At this time, the light is already not the original light, but was "eaten the rest of the part". For example, you see the flag and tomatoes red, is the light hit the flag and tomatoes above, in addition, the red part of the wavelength of light is absorbed, not absorbed by the red light reflected in your eyes. Here the light generally refers to the sunlight or white light. And sunlight or white light is a collection of various colors of light, so there is the whole is absorbed part of the wavelength, leaving a certain part of the wavelength, and black is completely absorbed, with no color.

At this time, I ask you, the flag and tomatoes in the end what color, you can answer it? The answer is red, and you do not need to think too complicated. Color is a perception of the brain after the light reaches the visual cells' processing, it's just something created by humans, it's like a consensus, when we see the flag and tomatoes, we all say they are red. Since it unifies most people, it leads to another part of people who are not the same becoming differently abled or having diseases, such as red-green blindness.

Different individuals have different abilities to perceive colors. We perceive colors from the optic cone cells and optic rod cells in the eye, which mainly receive light stimuli and convert light energy into electrical energy, and issue nerve impulses, so they are also called photoreceptors. There are about 120 million optic rod cells in the retina, which are cells that feel weak light stimuli and are very sensitive to the intensity of light and insensitive to different colors of light waves. The light-sensitive substance they contain is retinol. Some animals have more optic rod cells, so they have good night vision, such as cats and owls.

Retinal cone cells, of which there are about eight million in the retina, are cells that sense strong light and color and have a high ability to discriminate between strong light and color and are less sensitive to low light and light and dark perception than the optic rod cells. The light-sensitive substance contained is retinol blue matter. This is why the visual cone cells are the key to our ability to see color. The number of cone cells can lead to differences in the sensitivity and discrimination of colors. This is why there are some arguments about color on the Internet.

The average human has three types of visual cone cells, or what we call the optical trichomes red, green, and blue. With the three primary colors, we can combine almost all the colors. But some animals have only two kinds of cone cells, green and blue, such as dogs, so they see the world completely differently from us humans. With one less type of cone cell, we cannot imagine what it is like. Then with one more kind of retinal cell, it is even harder for us to imagine.

As early as 1948, scientists discovered a mutation in the retina of the fourth type of retinal cone cells, and this "four-color visionary" has been discovered, a female known as cDa29. Scientists say there may be more tetrachromatic visionaries in the world, but since our world is mainly composed of three colors, tetrachromatic visionaries do not have the opportunity to use their abilities. I think it's because tetrachromatic visionaries were raised with our three-color perspective, so they don't know that the colors they see are different from ours, or they just categorize those particular colors as some kind of counterpart in the three-color system.

Humans are not the best individuals in terms of vision; many animals can see more colors, for example, birds can see at least five spectrums, including ultraviolet. And snakes can see infrared. But the most powerful vision in the world is the bird-tailed mantis shrimp. This is a colorful peeper shrimp itself, and their eyes have twelve to sixteen types of visual cells. The world in their eyes is more than no animal can understand, absolutely colorful.

Perhaps color is important, as color allows us to better understand the world. But also not important, because it is only a human interpretation of the world phenomenon. Now you still wonder what the world looks like? Perhaps only until the day technology is more mature, through the power of science, let us see the world differently!

I think it is a summary of the key points.

1. The reason why the human eye can see color, is visible light is absorbed by other objects and then reflected, which is received by the visual cells in the eye, and the brain after processing the results obtained. Or is the visible range of electromagnetic radiation to stimulate the visual nerve caused by a feeling (the other range of electromagnetic radiation does not stimulate the visual nerve feeling)?

2. Color is the brain's perception of light reaching the visual cells after processing, but it is just something created by humans as if it is a consensus.

3. We perceive color from the visual cone cells and the visual rod cells in the eye, these two cells mainly receive light stimulation, convert light energy into electrical energy, and issue nerve impulses, so also known as photoreceptors.

There are about 120 million optic rod cells in the retina, which are cells that feel weak light stimuli and are very sensitive to the intensity of light and insensitive to different color light waves. The light-sensitive substance they contain is retinol.

5. There are about eight million cone cells in the retina, which are cells that feel strong light and color and have a high ability to discriminate between strong light and color, and are not as sensitive to the perception of low light and light and dark as the optic rod cells. The light-sensitive substance contained is retinal blue matter.

6. In general, there are three kinds of human visual cone cells, which are what we call the optical three primary colors red, green, and blue. Through the three primary colors, we can combine almost all the colors. As early as 1948, scientists discovered a fourth type of retinal cone cell that had mutated in the retina, and this "four-color visionary" has been discovered in a woman known as cDa29. Scientists say there may be more tetrachromatic visionaries in the world.

7. In the world's most powerful vision is the bird-tailed mantis shrimp. This is a colorful peeper shrimp itself, their eyes have twelve to sixteen kinds of visual cells. The world in their eyes is no animal can understand, absolutely colorful.