Scientists have invented (or discovered?) a new color called “olo”. “Verifying that [the] participants had indeed seen a novel color was tricky. Only one person witnesses the experience of color: the person who sees it.”
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Comments 4
Hi, trained vision scientist here! This is interesting work, but it's not totally clear that this lab actually generated a novel color. It could be the case that the precise use of lasers saturated the M-cones, creating a very intense but not strictly "new" color perception. I would have liked to see a little more skepticism from The Atlantic. For example here.
This is interesting because I had recently learned about the concept of linguistics and colour distinction, via the concept of “grue” (green/blue) - different cultures throughout history have referred to colours differently, which also (to an extent!) affects their degree of colour perception.
If you haven't read it yet, there's a great book by Victoria Finlay called, "Color: A Natural History of the Palette" where she traces the history of colors and she discusses grue (although i don't think she outright calls it that)
This is so timely as I am working on a short story about a grad student who discovers a new color (different circumstances from what is described here though) - this article will enrich the story! Won't be the first time something I find on Kottke influences my fiction.
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