Scientists have discovered an unheard of color. What Olo looks like and what do those who perceive it look like
Researchers at the University of California have discovered a new color, OLO, obtained by stimulating retina with a laser, which offers a unique visual experience.
Turquoise, the closest hue of olo – without a scientific American photo laser via Getty Images
After hundreds of thousands of years of evolution on Earth, people might think they saw everything to see. However, a group of researchers claims that he has experienced a color that no one has seen before.
This bold statement-but also challenged-comes from an experiment conducted in the United States, in which the researchers sent laser impulses in their eyes. By direct stimulation of cells in the retina of the eyes, they have managed to exceed the natural limits of visual perception.
However, the color description does not seem impressive at first sight-the five participants who experienced it defined it as “Blue-green”. TOtu, according to them, this name fails to fully capture the complexity and intensity of the experience. Basically, it is impossible to play faithfully on the monitors or in written articles.
Experience was characterized by participants straight “Amazing” and “Incredibly saturated”.
“There is no way to play this color.” Different from turquoise
“I predicted from the beginning that it would look like an unprecedented color signal, but I didn't know how the brain would react to this input. It was incredible. It is an extremely saturated shade,” explained REN NG, electric engineer at the University of California, Berkeley, for The Guardian.
To give a visual idea, the researchers presented an image with a turquoise square, calling the color, but stressed that this shade can only be experienced by handling the retina through laser impulses.
“There is no way to play this color in an article or monitor. The essence is that this color is not the one we normally see. The color we see is a version of it, but it cannot be compared to the OLO experience.”said Austin Roorda, a vision specialist, one of the researchers.
How did the researchers discovered the new color
People perceive colors when light falls on sensitive color cells, called cones, from retina. There are three types of cones, each sensitive to different wavelengths: long (L), medium (m) and short (s). Natural light is a mixture of wavelengths that stimulate the cones L, M and S to a different extent, and these variations are perceived as different colors. The red light mainly stimulates the L cones, and the blue light mainly activates the cones.
The Berkeley team tried to overcome this limitation. It started by mapping a small area of a person's retina to locate the positions of cones M. Then a laser was used to scan the retina. When it reached a cone, after adjusting for the movement of the eye, the laser emitted a small light impulse to stimulate the cell, before moving on to the next cone.
“It is not a new color” vs. “We will not see Olo too soon”
The result, published in the magazine Science Advancesis a color stain in the visual field about twice as large as the full moon. The color goes beyond the natural range of the human eye, because the M cones are stimulated almost exclusively, a state that natural light cannot reach.
The name Olo comes from the binary code 010, which indicates that of the cones L, M and S, only M cone are activated.
The statement left a perplexed expert. “It is not a new color. It is a more saturated green, which can only be produced on a subject with a normal red-green chromatic mechanism, when the only input comes from the cones M”, said John Barbur, a vision researcher at City St George's University of London. The result of the research, he added, has “Limited value”.
Researchers believe that the instrument called Oz Vision, after The city of emerald From L. Frank Baum's books, he will help them answer fundamental questions from the science of visual perception. But this tool could have other applications. By personalized stimulation of retina cells, researchers could learn more about daltonism or diseases that affect vision, such as pigmentation retinitis.
Will the rest of the world have the opportunity to experience Olo on your own? “This is a fundamental science. We will not see Olo on any smartphone display or TV too soon. And it is far beyond the current technology of the headphones vr (virtual reality – n.red.) ”said NG.
