Scientists In Washington And California Discover 'New Color'

Think about the last time an optical illusion stopped you in your tracks—a shape that looks like it’s spinning the other way, or a pattern that seems to shift under your gaze. Our brains are quite adept at filling in gaps, but now and then, scientists find a way to bend perception even further.

You’ve probably heard about the “true cyan” illusion that people claimed revealed a color no one had seen before. It turned out that the hype outpaced the science, but it set the stage for something even more surprising.

A team of researchers in Washington and California says they’ve done more than revisit cyan—they’ve created a hue that sits entirely outside the normal human color range. Volunteers who saw this new shade against a neutral grey background described it as a “blue-green of unprecedented saturation.” The scientists have dubbed it “olo.”

What makes olo so special isn’t just how vivid it looks. Study participants said they had to mix in white light to tone it down enough to match the most intense monochromatic light our eyes can usually detect. According to the paper’s authors, “unequivocal proof” is that this color lies beyond our usual visual limits.

“It was breathtaking.”

The trick behind olo is an Oz method. Instead of relying on filters or screens, Oz sends light directly to individual cells in your retina. In simple terms, each of us has three types of cone cells—in neuroscience shorthand, S, M, and L cones—that respond primarily to short (blue), medium (green), and long (red) wavelengths.

Under normal circumstances, any beam of light that triggers your M cones (the ones tuned mostly to green) will also affect its neighbors, your L and S cones, because their sensitivity curves overlap.

With Oz, however, the team could isolate stimulation of the M cones alone. When they did, the volunteers saw no familiar green or blue; they saw olo.

Only five people have glimpsed the color, and no existing shade comes close. During a BBC News interview, Professor Ren Ng from UC Berkeley, one of the study’s co-authors, recalled his reaction when he first saw olo himself: “It was breathtaking,” he said.

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Beyond the novelty factor, the researchers think olo could open new paths in vision science. Their paper, published last Friday in Science Advances, points out that because olo bypasses the usual cone overlap, it offers a unique window into how color perception works.

They’re especially excited about the possibility of using Oz to explore color blindness. If you can control each cone type independently, you might be able to craft stimuli that compensate for missing or malfunctioning cones in people with congenital color deficiencies.

Imagine a device that fine-tunes light so that someone with red-green color blindness can perceive shades they’ve never experienced. The team has that kind of long-term goal in mind.

They’re already planning follow-up experiments to see how people with different types of color vision, normal trichromatic vision versus various forms of color deficiency, respond to olo and similar stimuli.

Understanding Color Perception

Dr. David W. K. Wong, a color scientist at the University of California, emphasizes the fascinating relationship between color perception and brain processes. He explains that our perception of color is not just about wavelengths of light but also how our brains interpret those signals.

In his article on ColorLab, he discusses how the brain combines information from the eyes with prior experiences and cultural influences to create individual color experiences. This interplay is crucial for understanding new colors, like the one recently discovered.

Exploring what drives our perception can lead to exciting applications in art, design, and even therapy, suggesting that engaging with color in innovative ways could enhance emotional well-being.

"Researchers say they’ve discovered a new color called 'olo' - similar to a peacock blue."

So, what does olo look like? So far, descriptions have stuck to “blue-green,” but that barely scratches the surface.

One participant compared it to ocean water under a midday sun, only more intense, as if the water itself were glowing. Another said it felt like the moment just before dawn, when the sky is still sleeping but hints at a new day.

Yet you can’t blend olo by mixing blues and greens in Photoshop. It’s not just a new point in RGB space; it’s an entirely new dimension of color.

This discovery also raises philosophical questions about perception. Is color a property of light wavelengths, or is it something our brains construct based on patterns of neural signals?

We still don’t fully understand how our visual system interprets the world. If you can create a color outside everyone’s standard gamut, what else might be hiding in the gaps of our perception? For now, olo remains a laboratory curiosity.

Experts like Dr. Anne West, a psychologist specializing in visual cognition, suggest that understanding how we perceive new colors can improve educational methods. In her research, she highlights the role of visual stimuli in enhancing learning outcomes, particularly in children.

She advocates for incorporating color theory into curricula to foster creativity and critical thinking. By engaging students in hands-on activities involving color mixing and perception, educators can help them grasp complex concepts while fostering an appreciation for the sciences.

Furthermore, Dr. West notes that involving students in discussions about color perception can enhance their observational skills and encourage scientific inquiry, paving the way for future innovations.

As scientists explore new dimensions of color perception, it's clear that understanding these phenomena can have broader implications. Psychologists and educators stress the importance of integrating such discoveries into our learning environments.

By promoting curiosity and experimentation with color, we can enrich educational experiences and inspire future generations of innovators. Engaging with color not only enhances cognitive skills but can also foster emotional connections, paving the way for a more vibrant understanding of our world.