Blue is the loneliest color

Support Outside/In before February 5th, and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar! Donate $8 per month and we’ll send you a pair of merino wool socks from Minus33 (they’re made in New Hampshire!). Once in a blue moon the Outside/In team opens up the mailbag and answers your questions about the natural world. This time, they all share a preoccupation with a particular hue: blue. Come along as we learn about the differences between European and Aztec conceptions of the color blue, how construction workers build offshore turbine foundations under the deep blue sea, and why the most exciting picture astronauts took during Apollo 8 wasn’t of the lunar surface. Questions:I’ve heard the color blue is rare in nature. Is that true? Are blue eyes disappearing? How do we build things underwater? Why is the sky blue? What is the etymology of the color blue? Featuring Kai Kupferschmidt and Justin Alves. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter (it’s free!).Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.Submit a question to the “Outside/Inbox.” We answer queries about the natural world, climate change, sustainability, and human evolution. You can send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or leave a message on our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837). LINKSCheck out science journalist Kai Kupferscmidt’s book, “Blue: In Search of Nature’s Rarest Color” CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by Taylor Quimby, Felix Poon, and Nate HegyiMixed by Taylor Quimby and Felix PoonOur team also includes Justine ParadisEditing by Taylor Quimby, with help from Rebecca LavoieExecutive producer: Taylor QuimbyRebecca Lavoie is NHPR’s Director of On-Demand AudioMusic by Blue Dot SessionsOutside/In is a production of NHPR