We DON'T all see the same colours say scientists as they claim one person's red is another's blue

Neurons controlling colour perception are not pre-determined

New research has led scientists to believe that people do not see all the same colours when they look at similar objects.



Although there is a general consensus that red is the same shade as strawberries, blood and the planet Mars some people could perceive the colour red as another person's blue according to experts.

The revelations come after an experiment with monkeys which suggests that our colour perception is shaped by the outside world but follows no predetermined pattern.

One person's red could be another's blue say scientists who believe that colour perception is not pre-determined

In work published in the scientific journal 'Nature', colour vision scientist Jay Neitz from the University of Washington injected a virus into monkeys' eyes which enabled them to see red as well as green and yellow.

The result was that just four months later the monkeys could see in full colour for the first time.

As well as allowing colour-blind humans to tell red from green, the innovative technique could restore sight to the blind.



Sufferers of age-related macular degeneration - the most common cause of blindness in the elderly - are among the millions who could eventually benefit.

Breakthrough: Scientists were able to infect squirrel monkeys with a virus which allowed them to see the colour red

Importantly, the monkeys were injected with a human gene, suggesting the same technique would work on people.

The 2009 findings prompted researchers to investigate what the monkeys were actually seeing and they concluded that there were no predetermined perceptions ascribed to each wavelength.

The scientists now believe that although people's brains tend to behave in the similarly when they are born neurons are not configured to respond to colour in a default way.

Other research shows different perceptions of colours do not change our emotional response to the same shades.

They found that people's reactions to the colour 'blue' tends to have a calming effect due to the shorter wavelengths of light hitting the retina.

While longer wavelengths (yellow, orange and red) can make us more alert.

Neitz said: 'I would say recent experiments lead us down a road to the idea that we don't all see the same colours.'