Colours have a fascinating history, especially the story of their evolution. One such colour is cyan. It was once made from cornflower and was named "corn blue." Earlier in the late nineteenth century, the colour “corn blue” was made using the poisonous chemical cyanide. The colour served the purpose and was used in dyes and pigments and other such commercial purposes. However, due to the poisonous nature of cyanide, it started proving fatal and as a result, the colour was prohibited. The term cyan once again became popular with the revival of colour photography. The ancient art community criticized this form of new photography. As a result of this, new photographers started using the colour term cyan to differentiate from the old artists. In the current scenario, the term cyan has been made popular by digital artists.

Can the colour of the food you eat change the colour of your skin? In Hawaii, researchers reported that feeding mice a special diet of Christmas tree mulch made the mice turn green! Wondering why, they further studied the matter and discovered that it's not what the mice ate that caused some mice to turn green. They were born with a green gene from a jellyfish. The University of Hawaii research team that cloned mice (Yanagimachi, Perry and Wakayama) have now developed a new method of transferring genetic information (DNA) from one organism to another.

We all know the importance of trees and plants in our lives but this new research puts light on a new benefit. Research conducted at the Washington State University and published in the journal, Horttechnology, suggests that greenery can help one tolerate more physical pain. People who are surrounded by greenery are better at tolerating pain than those without any plants. For the study, 200 people were tested for how long they could keep their hands submerged in ice water. The findings reinforce previous studies that found that people work more efficiently when they can see houseplants, and patients recover more quickly from surgery and use fewer drugs when they are in a room with a green view.

Ever heard of paint conditioner? Well, the secret to a get a perfect, clean finish that is free of brush marks is mixing this conditioner with the paint. What it basically does is it slows the drying time, allowing you more time to overlay recently painted areas without spoiling the entire effort that usually happens when you try and paint over dried paint, also the shade variation. Additionally, it beautifully sets the paint, eliminating the marks from strokes. People use conditioners mainly while painting drywall, woodwork, cabinets and doors.

When painting walls, it is best we first smooth the surfaces for a great finish; thus, sanding your walls right means getting the job half done. Sanding levels outs spackle or joint-compound patches and evens out ridges. It also removes pods and coarse spots. But as we are all aware, this task can give even the experts, jitters. It’s not only time consuming but also physically challenging. Therefore at Berger, we have introduced a revolutionary Express Painting Tool that makes sanding child’s play. It’s faster and cleaner and the machine’s dust-free vacuum function works at regulated speeds to give a perfect finish.

Repainting a home can be a tough task, especially if you’ve used the space for a long time. We’re talking about areas like dirty surfaces in the kitchen platform, where all the oil settles post cooking/frying. And if you have kids, then the entire scuff on the walls after playing and areas around switches etc. The paint just won’t bond with these dirty surfaces. For these tough spaces, it’s recommended you use a degreaser to clean grubby or greasy surfaces. Degreaser is a blessing, as it cuts through all the dirt and grease you have on the walls, allowing for superior paint adhesion.