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How optical illusions trick your brain - Nathan S. Jacobs

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TEDEd Animation

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Optical illusions are images that seem to trick our minds into seeing something different from what they actually are. But how do they work? Nathan S. Jacobs walks us through a few common optical illusions and explains what these tricks of the eye can tell us about how our brains assemble visual information into the 3D world we see around us.

The connections between neurons in the retina, specifically the connections referred to as “lateral inhibition,” help us see which of the following better?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Nathan S. Jacobs
  • Director Biljana Labović
  • Animator Lisa LaBracio
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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