April 7, 2009 | 9 comments
The Neuroscience of Yoricks's Ghost and Other Afterimages
This is the eighth article in the Mind Matters series on the neuroscience behind visual illusions.
By Stephen L. Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde
CLICK TO ENLARGE + IMAGE COURTESY OF JEREMY L. HINTON
Lilac Chaser
Click here to view this illusion
Afterimages can form quickly and, as the adaptation deepens, so, too, does the intensity of the afterimage. Jeremy L. Hinton, of BAE Systems Technology Centre in Bristol, U.K., developed a compelling illusion that highlights these effects. Fixate your gaze on the center point and hold your eyes as still as possible. After a few seconds, the pink dots will start to adapt and fade. As the pink dots fade, a green afterimage replaces each dot and becomes more and more salient, until it appears to be as bright as the original pink dots.
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