From early childhood, we’ve been taught to recognize the colors of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—using the iconic acronym ROYGBIV. We see them in nature, on color ...

The color purple has long been a symbol of royalty, creativity, and mystery. But according to science, it's also something else: a figment of our imaginations. While it looks just as real as red or ...

Many of us develop strong attachments to particular colors, but purple brings out the most focused and enthusiastic devotion. What makes purple so distinctive? Part of the answer comes from optics.