UC Berkeley Scientists have revealed a new color, ‘olo,’ to the world. The color resembles a teal blue shade. If you love these colors, this discovery may lead to your new favorite color. The most exciting part is that it cannot be seen with the naked eye. Only laser stimulation of cone cells in the eye can make this color visible.
The scientists claim that this color has never been seen by anyone before. Five scientists discovered this color by using laser pulses on the cells in the retina. It makes up for the highly sensitive area at the back of the eye that reacts to light and converts it into electrical signals.
These electrical signals are then sent to the brain through the optic nerve. As a result, the human eye is able to see this color. People who were participating in the experiment said they were able to see a blue-green color. It was a unique blue-green hue that resembled Northern Lights. We may never be able to see the color, but we can only imagine it as a part of the teal color family.
NEW color found, scientists claim… by firing laser pulses into eyes
Blue-green color dubbed ‘olo’
Only 5 people in the WORLD have actually seen it
Anyone up for risking lasers in their EYES just to see it? pic.twitter.com/7P1bJLFrhK
— RT (@RT_com) April 20, 2025
The researchers shared the image of a turquoise square to show what the color looks like. But it is not the exact representation of the color. The discovery is remarkable in terms of optical studies and how it can help us understand how we see.
One major benefit of this experiment is that it can be used to understand color blindness. More research is needed to deal with this ailment, which impacts many people. A much better description of the color is that it appears more saturated, as said by one of the researchers. He said no one in the real world can see colors this saturated.
New color called olo discovered using laser imaging on retinas.
It does look different, even though your display won’t accurately capture. Maybe my handle can be oloflow? pic.twitter.com/P2xUih18SI
— Warren Karlenzig (@Greenflow) April 21, 2025
He gives an example of seeing colors like different shades of pale or pastel pink, and then you spot someone with an intense, dark pale pink shirt. The color may appear close to red if seen in this way. Another vision scientist states that the color will not materialize on a monitor to even show to others without the laser.
The experiment reiterated that we don’t see colors like this. But we see a version of these colors, and they appear to be more pale in comparison. So, we cannot experience the same intensity of the colors in real life.
There have been mixed reactions on the internet about the discovery of color. Some have said the color’s existence can be just the perception of the brain. So this experiment can just be great for science and a technologically advanced way to see colors by stimulating the cone cells.
