Could we survive in a black and white world, with no other colours in the leaves, the sky, etc...?

Question

When I was in the supermarket I went up to the girl with the red tee-shirt with the slogan 'here to help', so I asked for help. Unfortunately she couldn't answer the above question, so I thought I'd ask it here.
(she helped me find the teabags in aisle 3 though)

Answer 1

The question requires a much more complex answer, but I prefer putting it this way.

From the perceptional point of view,
If we know the colours do not exist , we would be happy without

on the other hand,

if we knew about colours before and things suddenly changed, we would get used to it.

I think the colours are not making us happy, they may influence our mood like many other things in life.
But if you ask me, black and white are lovely- simplicity is nice.

Answer 2

Well, first you have to separate the *physical* properties of light that produce different "colors", from our ability to percieve them.

To start with the second part ... our ability to percieve different colors does not seem to be a huge factor in our survival. People with no color vision at all (what is called achromatopsia, which is very rare, and is not the same as simple red-green "colorblindness" which is far more common) don't have much trouble at all. The main problem for them is that the cause of this total color blindness is that they use only rod-vision ... they have no cones, which is what we use for both color vision and daylight vision ... so daylight conditions are too bright for them. But other than that, they have little problems.

The physical properties of light are that it is made up of many different wavelenghths of light. It is difficult to imagine how light would work if it was all one wavelength (as this violates so many fundamental properties of light). But from a biological point of view, a lot of biological processes (like photosynthesis) depend on the different wavelengths of light. We require a certain amount of UV radiation (light in the extreme purple end of the color spectrum) to stimulate production of Vitamin D. And there are probably hundreds of other biological processes that require certain wavelengths.

So the answer is probably no.

Answer 3

Since white light is a complete spectrum, containing all colors, nothing would be missing from the light. Chlorophyll is, I believe, the only family of molecules capable of photosynthesis, and it's green. But a leaf containing chlorophyll could contain other pigments as well, so the leaf could be black. Probably no animals would have cone cells in their eyes, since color vision would be meaningless.

If all you're taking away is not color, but color perception, then humans would have little trouble. Many animals would need a different way of finding food, recognizing predators, attracting mates, and so on.

Answer 4

right here we circulate we can draw trolls back, notice. You sound incredibly mature, that makes above your friends for understand that we are human and we are to blame for our own movements, with any luck your friends will develop out of this concept approximately think of black or white human beings act a definite and it incredibly is totally rude to point that interior the 1st place. No a race/coloration can't say how someone is going to act, make effect from lifestyle is case in point Africa, Latinos, Italians; could effect your movements yet not your race or coloration

Answer 5

Chemistry would have to change, and biology. Plants absorb RED wavelengths of light to perform photosynthesis. This is the basis of all food energy on the planet.

Answer 6

I do not think we could. I know that we had black and white TV, however the world was full of color. I am use to green grass and gray clouds, but since I moved to the desert I see a lot of brown everyday. Believe me it gets real old. I miss all the vibrant greens and brown squirrels... ETC

Answer 7

color blind people cannot see other colours beside black and white (or so i think) but they still live like a normal person. So i think it possible that we can survive in a black and white world

Answer 8

People who are colour blind can survive in modern society, but if we were all colour blind, our evolutionary path would have been different, so we would not exist in this form today.

Answer 9

Some people have to.

Answer 10

Are you saying that if you couldn't see color you'd starve to death or suddenly lose the ability to build a shelter from the elements, or find water?