Jump to content

Olo

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olo is a color discovered in April 2025 by a team of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, that cannot be perceived with the naked eye.[1] "Researchers used lasers to create stimulation in individual cone cells in the retina — leading to the perception of a completely new colour."[2] The intense blue-green color was seen by five people when "researchers used lasers and tracking technology to selectively activate certain cells in their retinas."[3] The research was reported in April of 2025. To be sure that olo is really a new color, the scientists did certain tests. One test was a color-matching test. They had the five participants try to match olo to a blue-green color from a near-monochromatic laser. This kind of laser makes the most saturated colors that can be seen naturally. "Participants could only match olo to this blue-green hue by reducing its saturation, confirming that olo lies outside the boundaries of normal human color vision." [4] The name "olo" comes from the binary 010, which represents that only the medium cones are fired but not short or long. [5] The project was led by undergraduates at MIT; participants included: Max Travis, Orin O'Donnell.

Closest visible color to olo.

However, one scientist says it is just "a more saturated green." [6]

It is claimed that #00FFCC, the hex color for turquoise, is the closest color to olo that screens can produce.[7]

Olo can only be seen by pointing a laser into someone's eyes. Five volunteers were able to view the color at the risk of their eyesight.

References

[change | change source]
  1. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/apr/18/scientists-claim-to-have-found-colour-no-one-has-seen-before
  2. Gibney, Elizabeth (2025-04-18). "Brand-new colour created by tricking human eyes with laser". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01252-3. ISSN 1476-4687.
  3. Gibney, Elizabeth (2025-04-18). "Brand-new colour created by tricking human eyes with laser". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01252-3. ISSN 1476-4687.
  4. https://evrimagaci.org/tpg/scientists-discover-new-color-named-olo-that-no-one-has-seen-before-331225
  5. Sample, Ian; editor, Ian Sample Science (2025-04-18). "Hue new? Scientists claim to have found colour no one has seen before". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-04-20. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  6. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/apr/18/scientists-claim-to-have-found-colour-no-one-has-seen-before
  7. Krywko, Jacek. Parshall, Allison (ed.). "Only Five People Have Seen This New Impossible Color". Scientific American. Retrieved 2025-05-04.