This ultra-rare colour is so exclusive only five people have ever seen it
Imagine a colour so extraordinary, it exists outside the boundaries of natural vision. A luminous blue-green hue so vivid, it makes the most saturated neon signs look washed out.
Olo is the first new color discovered in centuries, witnessed by just five pioneering scientists who volunteered to have lasers shot directly into their eyes in the name of discovery. The colour cannot be seen with the naked eye, but the five people who have seen it describe it as being similar to teal.
What if some colors are invisible not because they're rare, but because we physically can't see them?
UC Berkeley scientists discovered Olo – a hue that can't be rendered, only experienced.
Olo may never join the Pantone Color System… or will it?https://t.co/sBRGVhw85g pic.twitter.com/rxmbutd7y2
— PANTONE (@pantone) April 23, 2025
In a University of California laboratory, researchers achieved what was previously thought impossible. They tricked the human eye into perceiving a colour beyond nature's spectrum. By using precisely calibrated laser pulses to stimulate individual colour receptors in the retina, they created a visual experience never before recorded in human history.
Professor Ren Ng, one of the study's authors and brave participants, describes olo as 'more intense than any color found in the physical world.' The effect was so startling that scientists developed special equipment just to verify its existence, with participants matching the hue against adjustable colour dials.
While the discovery sparks immediate visions of avant-garde fashion collections and futuristic interior design, the implications run deeper. For instance, imagine olo-accented Birkins. This breakthrough could revolutionize how we understand colour blindness, potentially leading to technologies that help those who see the world differently. The scientific process behind 'olo'
In a study published in Science Advances on April 18, professors from UC Berkeley and the University of Washington School of Medicine revealed their groundbreaking discovery: a hue beyond the limits of human vision. A clever technique named Oz their secret. It is an homage to the Wizard of Oz—that 'tricks' the eye into perceiving the impossible.
Just as the Wizard used emerald glasses to make his fictional city appear more dazzling, the Oz device uses precisely calibrated lasers to stimulate individual color receptors in the retina. The result? Olo, a shade so radically new that the brain has no natural reference for it.
Professor Ren Ng, one of the study's authors and intrepid participants, describes the experience as 'more intense than any color found in the physical world.' To confirm their findings, researchers had participants match the elusive hue against adjustable colour dials—proving that olo wasn't just a fleeting illusion, but a documented scientific first.
As researchers continue exploring olo's potential, one thing is certain: the human experience of colour just became infinitely more fascinating. The next time you admire a vibrant painting or a tropical ocean vista, remember – there are still visual wonders waiting to be discovered. – For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
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Emirates Woman
01-05-2025
- Emirates Woman
This ultra-rare colour is so exclusive only five people have ever seen it
Imagine a colour so extraordinary, it exists outside the boundaries of natural vision. A luminous blue-green hue so vivid, it makes the most saturated neon signs look washed out. Olo is the first new color discovered in centuries, witnessed by just five pioneering scientists who volunteered to have lasers shot directly into their eyes in the name of discovery. The colour cannot be seen with the naked eye, but the five people who have seen it describe it as being similar to teal. What if some colors are invisible not because they're rare, but because we physically can't see them? UC Berkeley scientists discovered Olo – a hue that can't be rendered, only experienced. Olo may never join the Pantone Color System… or will it? — PANTONE (@pantone) April 23, 2025 In a University of California laboratory, researchers achieved what was previously thought impossible. They tricked the human eye into perceiving a colour beyond nature's spectrum. By using precisely calibrated laser pulses to stimulate individual colour receptors in the retina, they created a visual experience never before recorded in human history. Professor Ren Ng, one of the study's authors and brave participants, describes olo as 'more intense than any color found in the physical world.' The effect was so startling that scientists developed special equipment just to verify its existence, with participants matching the hue against adjustable colour dials. While the discovery sparks immediate visions of avant-garde fashion collections and futuristic interior design, the implications run deeper. For instance, imagine olo-accented Birkins. This breakthrough could revolutionize how we understand colour blindness, potentially leading to technologies that help those who see the world differently. The scientific process behind 'olo' In a study published in Science Advances on April 18, professors from UC Berkeley and the University of Washington School of Medicine revealed their groundbreaking discovery: a hue beyond the limits of human vision. A clever technique named Oz their secret. It is an homage to the Wizard of Oz—that 'tricks' the eye into perceiving the impossible. Just as the Wizard used emerald glasses to make his fictional city appear more dazzling, the Oz device uses precisely calibrated lasers to stimulate individual color receptors in the retina. The result? Olo, a shade so radically new that the brain has no natural reference for it. Professor Ren Ng, one of the study's authors and intrepid participants, describes the experience as 'more intense than any color found in the physical world.' To confirm their findings, researchers had participants match the elusive hue against adjustable colour dials—proving that olo wasn't just a fleeting illusion, but a documented scientific first. As researchers continue exploring olo's potential, one thing is certain: the human experience of colour just became infinitely more fascinating. The next time you admire a vibrant painting or a tropical ocean vista, remember – there are still visual wonders waiting to be discovered. – For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram Images & Feature Image: Pinterest
Zawya
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Great Arab Minds award winner revolutionizes global water access
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Professor Omar Yaghi, a distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Visionary Founder of Water Harvesting Inc. (WaHa), has been awarded the Great Arab Minds Award in Natural Sciences for 2024 by H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Dubai Ruler. This prestigious recognition marks another milestone in Professor Yaghi's groundbreaking career in reticular chemistry. Frank Ramirez, CEO of WaHa, comments: "Professor Yaghi's Great Arab Minds Award is a well-deserved recognition of his pioneering work in reticular chemistry. His groundbreaking research has not only advanced the field of materials science but has also opened new frontiers in addressing global challenges like water scarcity. This award underscores the profound impact of Professor Yaghi's contributions to science and society." Chris Kay, President of WaHa, comments: "We are thrilled to be implementing Professor Yaghi's revolutionary technology in the UAE through our WaHa Vaporator®. This innovative system aligns perfectly with the UAE's forward-thinking sustainability goals, producing pure drinking water even in the challenging desert climate. Our successful pilots in the region demonstrate the practical application of this technology, offering a sustainable solution to water scarcity that could transform lives across the Middle East and beyond." Professor Omar Yaghi's Laboratory, UC Berkeley Professor Omar Yaghi leads a world-renowned research group in the Department of Chemistry at UC Berkeley. The lab specializes in reticular chemistry, focusing on developing Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs). The Laboratory is at the forefront of creating sustainable solutions for global energy, environment, and water scarcity challenges. Their work has applications in clean energy, gas storage, carbon capture, and water harvesting from air. This has led to over 300 publications and 250,000 citations, and the receipt by Professor Yaghi of numerous recognitions - the Albert Einstein World Award of Science (2017), the Wolf Prize in Chemistry (2018); the Gregory Aminoff Prize (2019); the VinFuture Prize (2022), and the Science for the Future Ernest Solvay Prize (2024) WaHa Inc: WaHa is a pioneering climate technology company revolutionizing the cooling and atmospheric water generation (AWG) industries. At the heart of WaHa's innovation is the patented WaHa Vaporator® technology, a groundbreaking and disruptive platform for solid desiccant regeneration in the air conditioning, dehumidification, and AWG markets. Source: AETOSWire Contacts: Satish Chandran
The National
23-10-2024
- The National
Carbon capture breakthrough could lead to reversal of emissions
Researchers may be putting humanity on the path to negative carbon emissions after the discovery of a type of highly porous material which can capture and store carbon dioxide more efficiently than ever before. Carbon capture has become a promising tool in the fight against climate change by lowering atmospheric greenhouse gases and CO2 levels, which are 50 per cent higher than they were a century ago. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has stressed the importance of carbon capture, saying humanity will not reach its goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C without it. However, the current technology only works on highly concentrated sources of carbon, such as those from power plant exhausts and other industrial output, rather than the "ambient" air that we typically breathe. Chemists at the University of California, Berkeley say they have developed a highly absorbent material which can pull carbon from the air without degradation by water or other contaminants, which is one of the limitations of existing direct air-capture technology. In a new study, published in Nature, researchers outlined how a covalent organic framework (COF) material, described as a kind of ultra-porous organic crystals, can clean ambient air in the environment through direct air capture. "Direct air capture is like a giant vacuum cleaner that removes CO2 out of the air, captures it, and stores", the study's first author Zihui Zhou told The National. "It helps reduce the overall amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, which is key for tackling climate change". The COF material builds on previous research developed by Omar Yaghi, a Professor of Chemistry at UC Berkeley and co-author of the study. His team have spent the last 20 years developing COFs that have a strong enough backbone to withstand contaminants that break it down over repeated cycles. "I am excited about it because there's nothing like it out there in terms of performance. It breaks new ground in our efforts to address the climate problem," he said. The Berkeley researchers put a powder of COF in a tube and pushed it through regular outdoor air to see how it would perform. The team were excited to find the carbon concentration dropped to zero, indicating that the material had completely cleaned the air of CO2. They were further encouraged when it demonstrated excellent stability, maintaining its performance after 100 cycles over 20 days. Ms Zhou said that a mere 200g of the material can take up to 20kg of CO2 in a year, about the same as a tree. Such a discovery could even lead to negative emissions, allowing humanity to reverse some of the damage done by industrial pollutants that have been pumped into the air since the Industrial Revolution. "Direct air capture is a method to take us back to like it was 100 or more years ago," Ms Zhou said. "Currently, the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is more than 420 parts per million (ppm), but that will increase to maybe 500 or 550 before we fully develop and employ flue gas capture. So if we want to decrease the concentration and go back to maybe 400 or 300 ppm, we have to use direct air capture." Prof Yaghi believes the new material could be substituted easily into carbon capture systems already deployed or being piloted to remove CO2 from refinery emissions and capture atmospheric CO2 for storage underground. "This COF has a strong chemically and thermally stable backbone, it requires less energy, and we have shown it can withstand 100 cycles with no loss of capacity. No other material has been shown to perform like that," Prof Yaghi said. "It's basically the best material out there for direct air capture."
