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Do we continually perceive the colours around us differently to others? And has the doubling of the human population in the past 50 years increased the mass of our planet and everything on it?

21 October 2020

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

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I see the shoes as mint green and grey, but a friend sees pink and white. Is this due to differences in our brains? Are we continually seeing different versions of the colours around us?

David Love, Exeter, UK

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

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The human population has more than doubled in the past 50 years, so has the mass of our planet and everything on it increased?

Geoff Hope, London, UK

 

To answer this question – or ask a new one – email lastword@newscientist.com.

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