Seeing red, or green - chemistry of color vision Dr. Ali Zand is
researching the chemistry underlying our ability to perceive
colors and its implications on color blindness. At first glance,
Dr. Ali Zand's research on the chemistry of color vision defies
the very foundation of the art world, where red, blue and yellow
are the "primary colors" from whence all other colors are made.
In the chemistry world, the colors are determined by red, blue
and green proteins- heresy to those schooled in the universally
accepted theory of the color wheel. According to Zand, associate
professor of Chemistry at Kettering University, the human eye
perceives all colors based on three colored proteins
(rhodopsins): red, blue and green. Before all the artists and
art majors start rioting in the streets, take a moment to
consider the chemistry that backs up Zand's claim. "Why humans
see different colors is based on how these proteins react in the
cone cells of the eye," he said. "There is only one chromophore
(one molecule) that i