Purdue Professor Xiulin Ruan and his team have developed the world's "whitest" white paint (Credit: Joseph Peoples/Purdue University)

Given that white was one of the first colors used in art in the 15th century, one would think that there is little room left to improve its "whiteness." It turns out that is far from the case. A team of researchers led by Xiulin Ruan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Indiana's Purdue University, recently revealed an "ultra-white" paint that they believe could even help combat climate change.