A team of scientists claims to have found a new colour that does not exist in nature, according to renowned evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. In a statement, Dawkins congratulates the researchers for achieving this breakthrough.
The discovery was first reported in Dawkins’ 2004 book “The Ancestor’s Tale”, where he posed an intriguing question: What if a neurobiologist were to insert a tiny probe into a green cone and stimulate it electrically? The result would be a cell reporting “light” while all other cells remain silent, potentially creating a colour unlike any real light.
Now, the researchers have successfully replicated this experiment. Dawkins notes that their achievement makes him feel like a prophet. The discovery was made by a team of scientists at Oxford University, and details of the research are expected to be published soon.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/apr/20/richard-dawkins-prophetic-vision-of-new-colour