Magician David Kwong breaks down magic into what he calls the “7 Principles of Illusion” and explains what goes into the execution of a magic trick.
Beware: He does give some general spoilers for how some magic tricks are done.
Tag Archives: Science & Nature
Sinkholes: When the Earth Opens Up
Sometimes disasters strike in the strangest of ways. To get a sense of just how strange, take a look at the odd and impressive photographs that accompany this short article on sinkholes. Who’d have thought such a thing could happen—right outside our front doors?
10 Offbeat Things Humans Have Launched into Space
Did you know that Buzz Lightyear has really been to space? Most of the more than 100 space trips have included an odd item or two on board. Read to find out more about the interesting, and sometimes wacky, items that have traveled to space.
Harnessing the Military Power of Animal Intelligence
In the 1990s, the U.S. Navy revealed that sea lions and dolphins were being used to find and retrieve valuable equipment from the sea floor. These animals are also being trained to help clear mines and to protect our harbors. Read to learn about the secret uses of marine mammals!
Eight Ways Your Perception of Reality Is Skewed
Researchers have found that people wearing heavy backpacks perceive the hills they are climbing as steeper than people who aren’t wearing backpacks do. Read this article to find out more about how our perceptions can become distorted.
Is Fear Contagious?
Fear may be able to spread from person to person—just like a virus. Recent studies have indicated that humans can smell fear and disgust in the body odor of those nearby, causing the part of their own brain that processes those emotions to become active.
Hollywood Writers Reached an A.I. Deal That Will Rewrite History
The Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) went on strike for 148 days this summer, demanding that studios put guardrails around AI’s encroachment on their work. The effects of their new contract will echo in industries far beyond Hollywood.
Chandrayaan-3: India makes historic landing near Moon’s south pole
India recently made history by landing the Pragyaan rover on the surface of the moon. Learn more about the scientific and historical significance of this Moon mission.
Scientists have solved a classic optical illusion–and the answer’s in your neurons
There is a famous optical illusion with two gray lines inside a number of black and white bars. The gray bars are the same color, but they appear lighter or darker depending on which bars are around them. Science was never sure why, but it seems the answer lies in you brain’s neurons and how fast they can fire.
Rare Brain Disorder Prevents All Fear
A middle-aged woman—known as SM—blithely reaches for poisonous snakes, giggles in haunted houses, and once, upon escaping the clutches of a knife-wielding man, didn’t run but calmly walked away. All because a rare kind of brain damage precludes her from experiencing fear of any sort.
What is the Future of Communication?
There was a time when there was no written language and almost all communication was spoken. Even when language evolved, it was often written on stone and not very portable until the invention of paper. History is full of such advances. Even the now ubiquitous smartphone was thought to be science fiction just a couple of decades ago. But have you ever asked yourself what advances may come next?
Harvard Professor Believes He’s Found Fragments of Alien Technology
Small objects sometimes lead to big discoveries. Learn how tiny, metallic spheres might point to alien technology in this short video clip.
Why Popcorn Tastes Better When You Eat It with Chopsticks
How do you make something old and familiar feel fresh and new? Science suggests the trick is to interact with it in new ways. Something as simple as eating popcorn–but doing so with chopsticks–can result in people rating the popcorn as tastier and more enjoyable than eating the same popcorn with their hands. Read the article and think of ways you may make things you already own feel new again.
Can You Trust Your Ears?
When most people think of an illusion, they think of an image or video–but there are audio illusions that trick your hearing, too. After you watch this video, you’ll have to ask yourself “Can I trust my own ears?”
NASA announces crew for first trip back to the moon in over 50 years
It’s been over half a century since NASA last sent astronauts to the moon, and this crew of brave men and women is the first of its kind.
Great Accidental Discoveries
While hard work is a good path to success, there is another route that some people have followed: the simple accident. Some of the world’s biggest discoveries and inventions have happened by accident. And yet, to see a mistake and not think of it as a failure, but rather as a new and unexpected form of success, takes a special kind of industrious mindset.
How To Make Eyewitness Testimony More Reliable
Eyewitness testimony can be really important when investigating crimes, but how can we make them more reliable? SciShow looks at the scientific and psychological evidence around several ways in which your memory can fail–and how we may be able to minimize these effects.
5 Biggest Risks of Sharing Your DNA with Consumer Genetic-Testing Companies
Nearly 50 million people have used consumer genetic-testing services to have their personal DNA analyzed to learn more about their ancestry, their risk for developing various diseases, or to find long-lost relatives. While there are many upsides, there are risks, as well. This article walks you through five of biggest risks when sending your DNA off to be tested.
How do you make a mummy? Ancient Egyptians’ surprising formulas revealed
Have you ever wondered how ancient Egyptian mummies remain so well preserved? Recently discovered jars may hold the answer.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect, or ‘why incompetent people think they’re amazing’
How good are you at basketball? What about playing an instrument? Psychological research suggests we’re not actually very good at evaluating our own abilities accurately. In fact, we frequently overestimate our own abilities thanks to something known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect.