Wondering about seeing colors.

Our eyes are remarkable!!!  Most of us have three different sets of cones that receive the incoming light and then send off signals to our brain where our brain combines the signals to produce the sensation of color.  With the three sets of cones we can see approximately a million different shades of colors.  If for some reason we lose one of those cones then with only two cones only about 1000 colors can be seen.  Almost all mammals have only two cones; this includes monkeys and your canine friends.  Of course some birds and insects can see a lot more since they can see into the ultra-violet spectrum.  There are some people, usually women, who have an extra fourth cone.  Mathematically, that means that they can see a hundred million different colors and shades.  Are you one of those super sighted women?  If you are you would not know.  Why would you suspect that you can see so many more different colors than the average person?  You wouldn’t unless you were specifically tested.  Now, I bet you look at colors with a different point of view, wondering which shades you are or are not capable of seeing.  Since I am not a women, I know that I am not capable of seeing all the different shades, but until I read this article in Discover magazine, I had no idea that I couldn’t or that there were other shades out there that I couldn’t see.  No wonder my paintings look so drab. . .  Now, you all have a colorful day, you hear?