Here's the winner of the 2018 Best Illusion of the Year Contest

The Troxler effect is a visual example of neural adaptation, where our brains filter out "superfluous" stimuli that does not change. It's the same way you don't notice the sound of rain or your room's background noise after a while. Swiss physician Ignaz Paul Vital Troxler first wrote about the effect in 1804. Understanding this… READ THE REST

In artists Erwin Driessens and Maria Verstappen's installation "Pareidolia," a computer vision system uses facial recognition software to find faces in grains of sand. Of course, "pareidolia" is a trick our brain plays that causes us to see meaningful patterns that aren't really there, like animals in clouds or hidden messages in songs. From the… READ THE REST

  Stare into the black circle in this video to get a lesson in chromatic adaptation from scientist Andrew Steele. This is definitely my favourite optical illusion—it's mind-bendingly effective but infuriatingly ephemeral, vanishing as soon as you try to look straight at it—and a fantastic illustration of how our eyes and brain together conspire so… READ THE REST

In our new reality, you've undoubtedly been looking for fun and inventive new ways to enjoy an evening. So if you're not exactly feeling comfortable spending a night out at your favorite Italian restaurant right now, why not have an inspired date night or host a small gathering of social distanced friends while an 84-year-old… READ THE REST

If you've been hacking away at meat or vegetables with blunted kitchen knives, annoyed that they're so dull that it's starting to feel more like tenderizing than slicing, you should probably stop. Dull knives are more than just a nuisance. They aren't safe. The worn-down edge of your blade requires more force from you to… READ THE REST

If you've never heard of MATLAB or think it sounds vaguely like certain TV shows from the '80s, you'd be forgiven. Because even in a tech sector chock full of intricate, complex programs and systems that routinely leave lay people scratching their heads, MATLAB is science tech for the serious, SERIOUS scientists. Since its humble… READ THE REST