
Twenty-Eight Shades of Shoes
New research using Crocs explains “the dress”
Stephen L. Macknik is a professor of opthalmology, neurology, and physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Along with Susana Martinez-Conde and Sandra Blakeslee, he is author of the Prisma Prize-winning Sleights of Mind. Their forthcoming book, Champions of Illusion, will be published by Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Follow Stephen L. Macknik on Twitter @illusionchasers Credit: Sean McCabe
New research using Crocs explains “the dress”
This illusion turns gray shades into rainbows
The NIH’s director showcases a project to develop a brain implant that would restore sight
This artist’s paintings walk among us
What spectators’ gaze reveals about the conjuring arts
Johnny Thompson’s magical insights informed neuroscience
A new play that touches on the science of love and consciousness launches off-Broadway
‘The Chicken is Ready to Eat’ has two meanings. A new study shows how your neurons decide.
We feel we see the world around us with high fidelity, all the time. But it's an illusion made possible by our eye movements
A magnificent exhibition of original M. C. Escher prints available to the public at Industry City in Brooklyn, N.Y. If you live in NYC, you have no excuse but to go. If you don't, make an excuse and come and see it!...
Uncle Sam’s eyes and finger seem to be pointed directly at you, no matter your viewing angle
In February 2015 a viral internet image of a dress took the world by storm. Now there’s new illusion—for the ears—that speaks to each of us each in different ways: The Yanny–Laurel Illusion...
The art and perception behind the 2017 total solar eclipse
National Archives of New York City archivist Christopher Zarr reveals how deeply the art form of camouflage was pursued 100 years ago during World War I
The exhibit at the AMNH is a new and totally fresh look at our sensory systems, with demonstrations that you won’t see elsewhere...
The world’s best new illusions are available for your vote! Read about the science behind them here!
A team of researches changed people’s races in a full-body virtual reality immersion experiment
Most of us don’t really understand how mirrors work, which makes for some fun reflective deception
David Byrne’s musical at The Public Theater is an achievement rich in sensory stimulation and delightful deception...
To avoid or at least control conflict, militaries often play tricks on their opponents’ perceptions
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