Thursday, May 1st, 2025

Good Morning! 🌞

May has officially clocked in—and yep, it landed on a Thursday. Not quite midweek, not quite weekend, but perfect timing for a quiet reboot. If April felt like a blur (same), consider this your cue to slow down, refocus, and realign with whatever you’ve been putting off.

New month energy doesn’t have to mean an overhaul. Just one bold step forward will do. May’s not here to rush you—it’s here to remind you: there’s still time.

Let’s make it intentional.

Innovation

A New Color Discovered

Scientists have just unveiled a new color—one that falls along the blue-green spectrum but is unlike anything humans have seen before. Dubbed “olo,” this previously unseeable hue was revealed through a breakthrough in vision research by teams at UC Berkeley and the University of Washington. Using a specialized laser system called “Oz,” researchers stimulated only the M cones in the eye—those sensitive to mid-wavelength light—while bypassing the L and S cones that usually respond in tandem. This isolated activation produced a distinct visual signal that doesn’t occur in natural viewing conditions, allowing participants to perceive a color with no known equivalent.

Color vision relies on the interplay between three types of cone cells—L (long), M (medium), and S (short)—whose overlapping sensitivities typically blur the boundaries between individual cone activation. By precisely targeting just the M cones, the Oz system tricked the brain into seeing something it otherwise couldn’t: a new color created through unnatural but controlled stimulation. Participants consistently described “olo” as a vivid blue-green that was unlike any color they could name, confirming the success of the experiment. The researchers believe this technique could be used to explore the boundaries of visual perception and help develop technologies for diagnosing or correcting color blindness.

This discovery builds on earlier findings that show human color perception is not fixed. A 2005 study of the Himba people in Namibia revealed their exceptional ability to differentiate shades of green—possibly linked to genetic differences in their cone cells. They used one word, “serandu,” to describe what English speakers would separate into red, pink, and orange, yet could identify greens with remarkable precision. “Olo” adds a new chapter to the idea that some colors may exist just beyond our biological reach—until science finds a way to bring them into view.

Culture

The Return of the Retro

In a world driven by instant access and endless connectivity, Gen Z is reaching for something slower, warmer, and more tangible. They’re curating their lives around the textures of a past they never lived through—thrifting cassette players, dressing in Y2K styles, and favoring analog experiences over digital convenience. This isn’t shallow trend-chasing; it’s a quiet rebellion against the pressure of constant availability. Their longing for retro aesthetics draws a surprising line of connection to older generations, for whom these artifacts aren’t novelties but memories. While a 20-year-old might post a filtered Polaroid for the vibe, their grandmother remembers receiving the same camera as a wedding gift.

Rather than creating a cultural divide, this shared nostalgia is forging a rare space for common ground. Younger people are discovering the joys of handwritten notes, Sunday roasts, vinyl records, and slow, quiet mornings—things many older adults quietly mourned as lost. At the same time, older generations are watching pieces of their past, once dismissed as outdated, find new value in a digital age starved for authenticity and depth. The revival of these older ways isn't about rejection of the present, but a hunger for something more meaningful than the fast-paced, filtered lives that dominate today.

Ultimately, this retro revival is less about looking backward and more about weaving stories across generations. Gen Z isn’t trying to recreate the past—they're trying to rescue its best parts. In doing so, they’re proving that the future might not be built solely on innovation, but on rediscovering the textures of a slower, richer way of living—and carrying them forward.

World News

Labor Day

While Americans mark Labor Day with barbecues and long weekends in September, much of the world observes May 1 as International Workers’ Day—a day rooted in the global fight for fair wages, humane working hours, and dignity on the job. This international holiday traces back to the Haymarket Affair of 1886 in Chicago, where a peaceful rally for the eight-hour workday erupted in violence. Despite the fallout, the labor movement gained global momentum, and by 1889, workers around the world began recognizing May 1 as a day of solidarity and resistance.

Ironically, though the movement began in the U.S., the country chose to distance itself from May Day due to its ties to radical labor politics. In an effort to depoliticize the message, Congress established Labor Day in September—a celebration of workers without the sharper edge of protest. Meanwhile, in over 80 countries, May 1 remains a public holiday marked by marches, strikes, and calls for justice. The labor victories we now take for granted—safer workplaces, child labor laws, paid leave—are the result of generations of collective action.

Today, as debates around automation, unionization, and economic inequality intensify, May Day feels newly relevant. It’s not just a nod to the past—it’s a reminder that the rights of workers are never permanently secured. The labor movement’s legacy isn’t history; it’s the blueprint for what comes next.

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Mind Stretchers

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Yesterday’s Answers to the Mind Stretchers:

I can be cracked, told, made, and played—yet I’m never alive. What am I? — James Godfrey got this correct 🌞 

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to[email protected]or reply to email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.