Science breakthrough as experts ‘discover a new colour' never seen before
Scientists have claimed to have discovered a new colour that has never been seen before in a major breakthrough. Researchers at the University of California made the rare finding, which no human had ever laid eyes on. The colour, named 'Olo', was unveiled during an experiment which saw laser pulses being directed into the eyes of willing participants.
Following this, the volunteers witnessed a striking blue-green shade that does not appear in nature and can not be seen without certain lab equipment. The study targeted just one specific type of cone cell within the eye's retina, according to the research published in the journal Science Advances on Friday. Participating in the groundbreaking study were five people with normal colour vision, including Professor Ren Ng, who conducted the experiment.
The event used a device named 'Oz', which is a setup of lasers, mirrors and optical parts.
Scientists then isolated and stimulated the M-cones within the participants' eyes, which are the cells in the retina which detect green.
Typically, the cones work in groups which overlap with each other, so that colours can blend. However, the researchers activated only the M-cone which triggers a colour signal that the human brain does not usually receive.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Professor Ng depicted the new colour Olo as 'more saturated than any colour that you can see in the real world'.
'Let's say you go around your whole life and you see only pink, baby pink, a pastel pink. And then one day you go to the office and someone's wearing a shirt, and it's the most intense baby pink you've ever seen, and they say it's a new colour – and we call it red,' he explained.
Professor Ng described the finding as 'jaw-dropping', describing it as 'incredibly saturated' during a separate interview.
The name Olo was chosen due to the binary 010, which is where the M cone represents the 1, becoming the only cone in the eye to be switched on.
During the experiment, participants adjusted a digital dial to match the new shade to confirm what they were seeing, and everyone agreed it was completely unlike anything they'd ever seen before.
However, some scientists are sceptical of the findings. Professor John Barbur labelled the experiment as a 'technological feat', yet questioned whether the colour was brand-new.
He explained how the colour is merely a more saturated green which can only be 'produced in a subject with normal red-green chromatic mechanism when the only input comes from M cones'.
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