Scientists in the US claim to have discovered a new colour called “olo” that humans can’t see without advanced laser technology. The team, led by professors from California and Washington, used a device called Oz to “trick” their eyes into seeing the teal-like hue.
Only five people, all with normal colour vision, have seen olo so far. They describe it as a saturated blue-green colour that’s unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. While the researchers can’t render olo on digital screens, they believe it could potentially help people with colour blindness by directly stimulating their colour receptors.
However, experts note that miniaturizing the Oz technology to make it portable and practical is a significant challenge. The discovery highlights how our perception of colours is influenced not just by physical properties but also by neurological and societal factors.
Interestingly, different species experience colours differently. For example, mantis shrimp can perceive 12 channels of colour, while dogs are limited to shades of yellow and blue. This raises questions about the universality of human colour perception and how it compares to other living organisms.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/26/have-scientists-discovered-a-new-colour-called-olo