PsychologyOctober 31, 2022
At a Haunted House, Friends Heighten the Terror
Social scientists, using haunted houses to understand our experiences of fear, have learned that friends make things very scary
Stories by Stephen Macknik
Stephen Macknik is a professor of ophthalmology, neurology, and physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, N.Y. Along with Susana Martinez-Conde and Sandra Blakeslee, he is author of the Prisma Prize–winning Sleights of Mind. He is also author of Champions of Illusion, along with Susana Martinez-Conde. Follow Macknik on Twitter @stephen_macknik
CognitionMay 1, 2022
The Phantom Queen
Her majesty’s invisibility cloak is a matter of perspective
CognitionFebruary 10, 2022
Here Be Dragons
A gaming cartographer discovers an uncharted perceptual realm
CognitionDecember 16, 2021
The Allure of Mirages
Our centuries-long fascination with optical phenomena
PsychologyOctober 26, 2021
The Twisted Paths of Perception
These patterned pavements make pedestrians watch their step
ArtsSeptember 1, 2021
No Shrinking Violet
How Impressionist painters made an unusual color all the rage
CognitionJuly 1, 2021
It’s All in the Mix
A new form of color blending produces surprising palettes
CultureMay 1, 2021
The Ups and Downs of an Impossible Staircase
A 3-D reimagining of a classic illusion reveals new depths
CultureFebruary 25, 2021
Looking Glass? Look Again
This illusion turns empty frames into mirrors
CultureDecember 17, 2020
Out of the Woods
Using natural timbers to make the impossible tangible
CultureOctober 8, 2020
Perplexing Perspectives
Conflicting viewpoints coexist at the crossroads of math and art
CognitionSeptember 1, 2020
Unveiling the Illusion
How Giovanni Strazza rejected reality to make marble lifelike
CognitionJune 11, 2020
Wrong-Headed Arrows
This illusion takes the right of way with your perspective
Public HealthJune 4, 2020
Loss of Smell in COVID-19 Can Present with Brain Alterations
MRI scans of a coronavirus patient suggest how SARS-CoV-2 might invade the brain
CognitionOctober 10, 2019
Chasing Rainbows
Black-and-white photos turn into Technicolor