A new color. This amazing discovery was announced in a study published on April 18 in the journal Science Advances. To open our eyes to this hidden chromatic shade, the researchers found a way to divert human retina via laser pulses. An experience called « Oz »in reference to the Magician of Oz, the famous American musical, in which Dorothy leaves a world in black and white for a wonderful world, in bright colors and full of radiance.
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Located between blue and green, this new shade called “Olo” is invisible to the naked eye. It is a scientific experience mobilizing laser technology that made it accessible. A high -precision laser beam was sent to the eye of five participants, with a normal vision of colors. The objective: to stimulate specific cells of the retina, in this case the M cones, in order to to create an unprecedented neural signal, so that the brain cannot attach it to any known color. This scientific technique, which bypassing the biological limits of human vision, thus allows researchers toGet a color located beyond the natural range. Even more, it potentially opens the way to a new space of colors hitherto inaccessible to the natural chromatic spectrum …
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“A color more saturated than any visible color in the real world”
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For Professor Ren NG of the University of California, co-author of the research article which was also one of the five volunteers, this new color is “More saturated than any visible color in the real world”.
This innovative experience could also open up new perspectives in research on daltonism, helping scientists better understand how colors are perceived by the human eye.
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A disputed “color” status
However, the discovery of the color “olo” arouses debates within the scientific community. Some experts, such as Professor John Barbur, specialist in vision at St George’s University in London, believe that the discovery of this new color is “Subject to discussion”. Although he concedes that this experience is a “Technological feat”he considers that this new nuance is in reality only an intensification of an already known color. “If the red conical cells are stimulated in large numbers, people would perceive a deep red”he explains, as a comparison.
