A groundbreaking discovery has revealed a new, intense shade of blue-green, dubbed olo, which has been perceived by humans for the first time through an optical illusion.
A recent breakthrough in color perception has led to the discovery of a new, intense shade of blue-green that has never been seen by humans before. This phenomenon was made possible by a device called Oz, developed by researchers who used a laser capable of stimulating single cone cells in the retina.
Color perception is the ability to see and interpret colors.
It is a complex process involving the eyes, brain, and nervous system.
The eyes detect light waves and transmit signals to the brain, which interprets them as specific colors.
There are two types of color vision: trichromatic (red, green, and blue) and tetrachromatic (four primary colors).
Approximately 8% of men and 0.5% of women have some form of 'color vision deficiency'.
Color perception can be influenced by factors such as lighting conditions, age, and genetic predisposition.
The Science Behind Color Perception
When we see colors, our retinas contain three types of light-detecting cone cells: S, M, and L. These cells absorb different wavelengths of light and send signals to the brain, allowing us to perceive various colors. However, there is some overlap in the wavelengths detected by these cells, which can lead to complex color perception.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, led by Ren Ng, wondered what color people would perceive if only one type of cone cell was activated in a specific part of the spectrum. They used Oz, an upgraded version of the device, to stimulate a small square patch of about 1000 cone cells in the retina.
Located in the heart of Berkeley, California, the University of California, Berkeley is a public research university that was founded in 1868.
With an enrollment of over 40,000 students, it is one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the United States.
UC Berkeley is renowned for its academic excellence, innovative research, and diverse campus community.
The University of California, Berkeley offers over 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs across a wide range of disciplines, including engineering, business, law, and medicine.
Ren Ng is a computer scientist and entrepreneur who founded Lytro, a company that developed the first light-field camera.
Ng holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and was a research assistant at Stanford University.
She is known for her work on computational imaging and light field photography.
Under her leadership, Lytro introduced innovative products that captured 3D images with depth information.
The Discovery of Olo
Ng and his colleagues tested the upgraded Oz on five people, stimulating only the M cones in this small area of one eye, while the other was closed. The participants reported seeing a blue-green color, which they described as ‘very brilliant‘ and ‘hard to describe‘. This new color has been dubbed olo.
To verify these results, the participants took a color-matching test, where they viewed olo and a second color that they could tune via a dial to any shade on the standard visible spectrum. The results showed that all the participants matched olo with an intense teal color, supporting their perception of it as more intense than typical blue-green colors.
Potential Implications
The discovery of olo has significant implications for people with red-green color blindness. This condition is sometimes caused by M and L cones being activated by wavelengths of light that are very similar. Stimulating one over the other could enable people to see a wider range of shades, which needs to be tested in trials.
Andrew Stockman at University College London describes the research as ‘kind of fun‘ but with potential medical implications. The Oz device could one day enable people with red-green color blindness to experience typical vision, potentially improving their quality of life.
- newscientist.com | New colour seen for the first time by tricking the eyes
