The use of "bits" here doesn't mean we are working in binary.
It is more like the way it is used in information theory. The number of bits is log2 of the number of states that can be represented, and it doesn't have to be an integer. For example, with 10 bits of information, we can distinguish between 1024 different states, it can be 1024 colors for instance, or 1024 genders if you wish, it doesn't matter, the important part is that there are 1024 boxes to put things in, no matter what they are. Of course, it doesn't mean that only 1024 colors exist in the universe, there are an infinity of them, but with 10 bits, you can only distinguish between 1024 of them. If you want more, you need more bits, if you can do with less, you need less.
By the article results, it means your "inner brain" can process one color with 1024 nuances per second, or 2 independent colors with 16 nuances each per second. If the colors are not independent, it can process more, because, if, say, you know that the two color are highly contrasting, you don't have to allocate "boxes" for noncontrasting colors, may free some boxes for more nuances, so, you may, for instance, process two contrasting colors with 100 nuances each with these 10 bits.
It is more like the way it is used in information theory. The number of bits is log2 of the number of states that can be represented, and it doesn't have to be an integer. For example, with 10 bits of information, we can distinguish between 1024 different states, it can be 1024 colors for instance, or 1024 genders if you wish, it doesn't matter, the important part is that there are 1024 boxes to put things in, no matter what they are. Of course, it doesn't mean that only 1024 colors exist in the universe, there are an infinity of them, but with 10 bits, you can only distinguish between 1024 of them. If you want more, you need more bits, if you can do with less, you need less.
By the article results, it means your "inner brain" can process one color with 1024 nuances per second, or 2 independent colors with 16 nuances each per second. If the colors are not independent, it can process more, because, if, say, you know that the two color are highly contrasting, you don't have to allocate "boxes" for noncontrasting colors, may free some boxes for more nuances, so, you may, for instance, process two contrasting colors with 100 nuances each with these 10 bits.