An optical illusion, in simple terms, is something that deceives the eye by appearing different from reality. If you set your eyes on something and it appears different from how it really is, you ...

Most people use the terms “optical illusion” and “visual illusion” interchangeably, much like “fluid” and “liquid” or “sofa” and “couch” are synonyms. At first glance, this might be seemingly pedantic ...

Our visual system is constantly making assumptions about what we see. In one of my first psychology courses in college, our professor used an effect from Disney's classic Haunted Mansion attraction to ...

Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...

Optical illusions do more than trick your eyes — they shine a light on how your brain builds the world and, by extension, on ...