Sat Apr 26 15:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Scientists Discover New Color Visible Only Through Laser Stimulation
**Berkeley, CA** – A team of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has announced the discovery of a new color, dubbed “olo,” visible only through precise laser stimulation of the eye. The color, described as a deep, saturated teal, is beyond the range of human perception under normal conditions.
The research, published in *Science Advances*, reveals that olo is perceived by stimulating only the M-cone cells in the eye, responsible for detecting green light, without simultaneously stimulating neighboring L (red) and S (blue) cones. This unique stimulation pattern produces a color signal the brain doesn’t normally receive.
Five human subjects, including researchers and unaware participants, successfully perceived olo. The experiment involved precisely controlled laser pulses targeting up to 1,000 photoreceptors at once. While participants couldn’t name the color initially, they consistently matched it to a teal shade.
The researchers believe their findings have significant implications beyond simply discovering a new hue. The technology used to reveal olo could lead to breakthroughs in treating color blindness, better understanding color perception in the brain, and researching retinal diseases like cone cell loss.
However, the discovery has met with some skepticism. Vision scientist John Barbur from City, University of London, suggests it’s a highly saturated green, not a fundamentally new color.
Lead researcher Ren Ng emphasizes that olo is a starting point. While not expected to become a readily available paint color anytime soon, the team hopes to develop ways to visualize it using virtual reality technology, further refining their technique for cell-by-cell display. The focus now is on refining the technology and exploring its potential applications in ophthalmology and vision science.
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