On April 18 2025, scientists Ren Ng and Austin Roorda, alongside others, discovered a new color at the University of California, UC Berkeley.

A group of five researchers at University of California’s UC Berkeley campus discovered the new color- “olo” which has been described npt unlike a teal color. But “There is no way to convey that color in an article or on a monitor” said Austin Roorda, one of the researchers working on the project, showing how olo is much more than just a shade of blue. According to professor Ng, the color is “more saturated than any color that you can see in the real world.” So how does one discover a new color, and how can a new color exist in the first place?

The researchers used a device they called “The Oz,” designed by a team at University of Washington. The device is made up of a series of mirrors and lasers which target the subject’s retina, the part of the eye responsible for transmitting colors. Typically, when light reaches the eye it stimulates two of three cones- the S, L, and M cones. The M cone is stimulated as well as one of the neighboring S or L cones. However, The Oz only stimulates the M cone, allowing the color to be seen. This means that the color cannot be seen naturally without stimulation. Out of the five researchers, four male one female, all had regular color vision and all five were able to see the color through The Oz.

Professor Ng explained the ability to create a new color further saying, “let’s say you go around your whole life and you see only pink, baby pink, a pastel pink,” he said. “And then one day you go to the office and someone’s wearing a shirt, and it’s the most intense baby pink you’ve ever seen, and they say it’s a new colour and we call it red.” 

The five’s findings were published in the journal Science Advances and told sources that they hoped that their research would be able to aid in furthering technology and help for those who struggle with colorblindness.