For as long as people have turned telescopes towards the moon, they have reported flashes, sudden fogs and colour changes.

ECONOMIST: A transient success

It does everything from breeding new seeds and cattle, to creating ultra-thin edible wrapping paper for foodstuffs that changes colour when the food goes off, to running a nanotechnology laboratory creating biodegradable ultra-strong fabrics and wound dressings.

ECONOMIST: Brazilian agriculture

The colour of a liquid changes to give either a positive or negative result.

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The colour of the sea changes as the light advances up the sky.

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To calculate the heart rate the camera detects tiny changes in the colour of the skin.

ECONOMIST: Facial monitoring

This can include changes to the size and colour of fonts, shifting patterns of words and moving backgrounds.

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It comes loaded with five sensors which intelligently determine when to take a photos based on changes in light, motion, direction, colour and temperature.

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