Scientists at the University of California, Berkele,y have announced the discovery of a new color named "olo," described as "a blue-green with unprecedented saturation" that no one has seen before. The findings were published in the scientific journal Science Advances. Co-author Ran Ng described the research as "extraordinary," according to BBC News.
The color can only be viewed using a special device. Scientists used lasers to precisely stimulate specific cone cells in the retina, allowing participants to perceive a previously unseen color. Only five people have managed to see the unique color "olo" so far, which they describe as something between blue and green but say this doesn't fully express the richness of the experience. "It was amazing, it has amazing saturation," Ng, who participated in the experiment, said. He also described the color as "having higher saturation than any color that can be seen in the real world."
In the experiment, researchers used a special device called "Oz," composed of mirrors, lasers, and optical instruments, to stimulate individual cells in the human retina using laser pulses. By doing so, they managed to activate only the M cells, responsible for perceiving green, and created a color shade with unprecedented saturation levels in the brain. Participants reported seeing a blue-green hue with unique saturation properties, a visual experience that natural light cannot produce.
The researchers shared an image of a turquoise square to give an idea of the color but emphasized that the shade can only be truly experienced through laser manipulation of the retina. The study included five participants – four men and one woman – with three of them serving as co-authors of the research paper. The participants precisely adjusted a controlled color wheel until it matched "olo," confirming their perception of the new color.
"Let's say all your life you've only seen pink, pastel pink. And then one day you go to the office and someone is wearing a shirt, and it's the most powerful hot-pink you've ever seen, and they say it's a new color and we call it red," Ng said.
Some experts expressed skepticism about the discovery. "The research is a technological achievement in selective stimulation of cone cells, the discovery of a new color is open to debate," Professor John Barbour, a vision scientist from City University, London, said. Other experts argue that the newly perceived color is "a matter of interpretation."
"We won't see 'olo' on smartphone or television screens anytime soon. It's far beyond the technology of virtual reality glasses," Ng said. Ng acknowledged that although "olo" is "definitely very technically difficult" to see, the team is investigating the findings to determine their potential significance for people with color blindness, who struggle to distinguish between certain colors. "This is basic science," he said.
