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Colour blindness may have hidden advantages

People with red-green colour blindness are better at discerning shades of khaki.

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  1. BostenJ., et al. Current Biology, 15. R950 - R952 (2005).

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The Ishihara colour blindness test

Current Biology

Newcastle University

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Simonite, T. Colour blindness may have hidden advantages. Nature (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/news051205-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/news051205-1

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  1. This article says that the gene is recessive; this is inaccurate. Genes associated with the X chromosomes in females are inactivated instead. Someone with the color blind gene has cells expressing both types of genes. This is why some women who carry the gene are believed to be tetrachromatic and able to utilize both genes. Fascinating though. With these women being able to utilize both and see additional colors, it seemed obvious that colorblind people could see colors people with normal people could not.

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