Color

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Conceptual illustration of MRI scans.

Making sense of how the blind ‘see’ color

Study suggests that blind and sighted experience visual phenomena differently, but share a common understanding of them

Science|

DateFebruary 27, 2019February 27, 2019

A new study led by Harvard Professor Hopi Hoekstra not only showed differences between how light- and dark-colored mice survived in light- and dark-colored habitats, but also chalked up part of those differences to a mutation that affects pigment, and explored exactly how the mutation produced a novel coat color.

Rapid evolution, illustrated

Study captures one of the clearest pictures yet of how it works in vertebrates

Science|

DateFebruary 8, 2019February 27, 2019

Squid and octopus are able to interpret color and use it to great effect in camouflage, despite only being able to see in black and white.

Clues to camouflage

Chromatic aberration a plus for cephalopods, research suggests

Health|

DateJuly 11, 2016March 7, 2019

Behind the scenes in the Center for Nanoscale Systems, Mikhail Kats, Ph.D. ’14, demonstrated the fabrication process for ultrathin coatings that shine in vivid colors. Kats and Professor Federico Capasso have shown that these interference effects work on rough materials like paper.

Crafting ultrathin color coatings

In Harvard’s high-tech cleanroom, applied physicists produce vivid optical effects on paper

Science|

DateJanuary 13, 2015

The strikingly modernist Carpenter Center, which turned 50 this year, was Le Corbusier’s only building in North America. He established strict color guidelines for interior finishes: Anything painted was almost always green, yellow, red, black, or white and colors had to be applied directly to the concrete, without gradations or toning.

Light, bright, and modern

From day one, Le Corbusier knew his design goals for the Carpenter Center, his only North American building

Arts|

DateAugust 21, 2013March 1, 2018

In a series of demonstrations at the SEAS Holiday Lecture, Daniel Rosenberg held filaments of calcium, lithium, and copper in the flame of a Bunsen burner, producing flashes of orange, red, and green.

Pickles, prisms, and scientists

SEAS Holiday Lecture encourages community’s curiosity

Campus|

DateDecember 15, 2012March 15, 2019

The different colors in this photograph are a result of tiny variations in thickness: just 10-15 atoms of germanium separate the pink color from the violet, and another 10-15 atoms change the color from violet to dark blue. A penny is shown for size comparison.

Applied physics as art

Change thickness by 15 atoms and you can change the color

Science|

DateOctober 16, 2012

Researchers have developed a system — inspired by nature — that allows soft robots to either camouflage themselves against a background, or to make bold color displays. Such a “dynamic coloration” system could one day have a host of uses, ranging from helping doctors plan complex surgeries to acting as a visual marker to help search crews following a disaster.

Soft robots go for color, camouflage

Inspired by nature, Harvard researchers break new ground

Science|

DateAugust 16, 2012April 30, 2019

"Holi is primarily a celebration of the coming of spring and commemorates various aspects of Hindu mythology," said Neil Patel '13, co-president of Dharma. "The festivities usher in spring and the season of love."

Embracing spring

Hindu festival a colorful celebration of season

Campus|

DateApril 2, 2012July 24, 2019