Scientists Invent a Color You Can't See, Artists Sell a Knockoff You Can't Afford

Written by: Sam Orlando

STAUNTON, VIRGINIA - In the latest example of humanity asking "Can we?" instead of "Should we?", scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have invented a brand-new color. Meet "olo" — a hyper-saturated blue-green that you, a humble mortal, will never experience unless you volunteer to have lasers fired directly into your eyeballs. Fun!

The groundbreaking study involved targeting the eye's medium-wavelength cones (M cones) with ultra-precise laser pulses, causing participants to perceive a color that’s literally beyond nature's visible spectrum. Five researchers have now seen olo. The rest of us peasants will have to settle for greenish envy.

But wait — never one to let scientific exclusivity hog the spotlight, British artist Stuart Semple came to the rescue. Semple, whose life’s mission appears to be trolling elitism in color science, synthesized his own version: "yolo" (because obviously). By blending pigments with fluorescent optical brighteners, Semple recreated what he calls a "close-enough" experience of the elusive hue.

Want a jar of yolo? It'll only set you back £10,000 — unless you pinky-swear you’re an artist, in which case he’ll give it to you for £29.99. Bargain! Meanwhile, actual scientists have diplomatically described the paint as "cute" and "better than mixing Midori and Blue Curaçao" — a drink concoction one of them actually attempted to recreate olo’s effect. It didn't work, but at least it tasted like regret.

So there you have it: scientists invent a color we can't access, an artist sells a version we can't afford, and somewhere in between, humanity proves once again that when it comes to innovation, the only limit is our ability to turn anything — even colors — into a side hustle.