Colour Vision Flashcards
What are photopigments?
Molecules in photoreceptor proteins that undergo chemical changes when they absorb light
What is “opsin” in the context of colour vision?
Opsin is the protein part of a chromoprotein or to the whole chromoprotein which binds to the chromophore retinal
What do all human opsins bind to?
chromophore retinal
what is an example of opsin?
rhodopsin
what does the absorption of light vary based on?
the type of opsin protein
How do we perceive yellow on screens that only display red, green, and blue lights?
Screens mix red and green light to simulate yellow, tricking the brain into perceiving it as yellow.
What determines the colour humans see?
Color depends on light wavelength, with human vision typically ranging from 400 nm (violet) to 700 nm (red).
Why do humans see wavelengths between 400-700 nm?
Sunlight peaks in this range, Earth’s atmosphere is most transparent to these wavelengths, and seawater is most transparent to <500 nm.
what are the jobs of the three types of cones in the eye?
respond to different wavelengths of light.
What are the three types of cones in the human eye?
red, green, and blue
Why are humans called trichromats?
Humans have three types of cones (red, green, blue) for sensing color
How does the brain perceive color?
The brain compares the activity levels of the three types of cones to infer color.
what are the characteristics of colour blindness?
when cone pigments are missing or altered.
What is colour constancy?
the brain’s ability to perceive consistent colours despite changes in lighting.
which chromosome is responsible for blindness?
X chromosome
