Every illusion has a backstage crew. New research shows the brain’s own “puppet strings”—special neurons that quietly tug our perception—help us see edges and shapes that don’t actually exist. When ...

The afterimage motion illusion works by overloading the motion-sensitive cells in your visual cortex with a sustained focal point, then redirecting your gaze to a stationary surface — which your brain ...

Optical illusions have long fascinated scientists, artists, and everyday viewers. These visual puzzles can make stationary objects appear to move, straight lines look bent, or colours seem to change ...

The study of visual illusions in animals provides a compelling window into both the evolutionary continuity and diversity of perceptual processes. Research indicates that many species, from domestic ...

An optical illusion is dividing the internet over whether the picture is of pink slime or three forks laid out on a hot pink dish towel — and it’s making people’s brains hurt. Deemed as the “black and ...

Duping a guppy is easier than duping a ring dove — at least when it comes to a classic optical illusion. In the Ebbinghaus illusion, two identical circles placed side by side are each framed by a set ...