This Radiolab story about the color blue has fascinated me for years. I re-listened to it again last night and it’s still great. A mix of science, linguistics, and Homeric poetry.

Why did Homer use the phrase “the wine-dark sea?” Why does he never use the color blue? In the entirety of the Iliad and the Odyssey, there’s no reference to blue! Why is that?

Why is it linguistically the last color added to languages across the world. It’s a great segment if you want to find out.

It’s hard not to listen to this and wonder what it is that we are missing right now because we don’t have the language for it.