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How to see “impossible colors”

Ellsworth Toohey
Jan 12, 2026
∙ Paid

Some people may be able to see the color

What does “reddish green” look like? Not brown, not olive — an actual color that’s simultaneously red and green the way cyan is simultaneously blue and green. You can’t picture it. Neither can I. These are called “impossible colors and the reason is neurological. Our eyes have opponent color channels: one processe…

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