From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Imaginary color produced by isolating M cone responses
Olo is an imaginary color that can only be seen using specialized tools that exclusively activate the M cone cells on the retina.
It is impossible to view olo under normal viewing conditions, due to the overlapping sensitivities of M cone cells and S and L cone cells in all wavelengths of visible light that evoke them. In other words, there is no monochromatic stimulus (the purest type of stimulus that humans can perceive) that activates only the M cones. This means that olo is outside the visible gamut. To get around this, researchers mapped a portion of the retina and individually identified each cone cell as either an S, M, or L cone. They then used lasers to deliver tiny doses of light attempting to target specifically the M cone cells, mostly avoiding the S and L cone cells.[1][2]
The researchers who experienced olo said that the closest color to olo in the sRGB gamut is hexadecimal code #00FFCC.[2]
Olo was discovered on April 18, 2025 by scientists at UC Berkeley.[1][3] The color is named after its theoretical LMS color space coordinates (0, 1, 0), which spells "olo" in leet speak.[4][3]
Only the five subjects of the Berkeley experiment have officially seen olo.[1][5] Professor Ren Ng, a co-author of the study, described olo as "more saturated than any color that you can see in the real world";[5] the five subjects of the experiment similarly described the color as a "blue-green of unprecedented saturation".[1] Ng and his team are exploring whether the technology used to generate olo could be adapted to enhance color perception in individuals with color blindness to manage the symptoms of color blindness. He further suggested that this approach could even lead to a form of enhanced vision known as tetrachromacy, where individuals may perceive a broader range of colors.[6]
Experts in the field have described the technique used to create olo as a significant technical achievement. The Berkeley team generated the color by precisely stimulating individual cone cells in the retina using lasers, creating a color beyond the human visible gamut.[7]
However, some scientists, including Professor John Barbur from City St George's, University of London, have questioned whether olo truly represents a "new" color, saying that its existence is "open to argument".[5] Skepticism within the scientific community regarding the classification of olo as a genuinely novel color has been noted.[3][8]
The idea of olo has drawn attention beyond the scientific community, with artists expressing interest in creating paints inspired by the color. The Berkeley research team has also received global interest, with requests from reporters seeking to experience the phenomenon firsthand.[9]
- 1 2 3 4 Fong, James; Doyle, Hannah K.; Wang, Congli; Boehm, Alexandra E.; Herbeck, Sofie R.; Pandiyan, Vimal Prabhu; Schmidt, Brian P.; Tiruveedhula, Pavan; Vanston, John E.; Tuten, William S.; Sabesan, Ramkumar; Roorda, Austin; Ng, Ren (2025-04-18). "Novel color via stimulation of individual photoreceptors at population scale". Science Advances. 11 (16) eadu1052. doi:10.1126/sciadv.adu1052. PMC 12007580. PMID 40249825.
- 1 2 Krywko, Jacek. Parshall, Allison (ed.). "Only Five People Have Seen This New Impossible Color". Scientific American. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- 1 2 3 Sample, Ian (2025-04-18). "Hue new? Scientists claim to have found colour no one has seen before". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ↑ Lanese, Nicoletta (2025-04-18). "'Olo' is a brand-new color only ever seen by 5 people". Live Science. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- 1 2 3 "Scientists claim to have discovered 'new colour' no one has seen before". BBC. 19 April 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ↑ "Have scientists discovered a new colour called 'olo'?". Al Jazeera. 26 April 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "Brand-new colour created by tricking human eyes with laser". Nature. 18 April 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ↑ Hashemi, Sara. "Scientists Say They've Discovered a New Color—an 'Unprecedented' Hue Only Ever Seen by Five People". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ↑ "The 'Profound' Experience of Seeing a New Color". The Atlantic. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.