Thank you to Policygenius for supporting PBS. To learn more, go to https://Policygenius.com/BeSmart ↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓ Optical illusions are fun, but they can also teach us a lot about how our brains work. In particular, how our brains accomplish the incredible feat of constructing a three-dimensional reality using nothing but 2-D images from our eyes. A young artist and psychology researcher named Adelbert Ames, Jr. developed a series of illusions that help us understand how this process of constructing reality actually works. Sometimes we need to be fooled in order to gain understanding. We'd like to acknowledge Dr. Phil Kellman from UCLA for his helpful discussions about the principles of spatial perception at play in these illusions https://kellmanlab.psych.ucla.edu/ Special thanks to Brian from Real Engineering for 3D printing the anamorphic cube for me! null References used in this episode: https://sites.google.com/view/references-ames-illusions/home ----------- We’re on PATREON! Join the community https://www.patreon.com/itsokaytobesmart Special thanks to our Brain Trust Patrons: Ali Freiburger Amy Sowada Attila Pix Baerbel Winkler Barbora Bei Burt Humburg Clinger-Hamilton Family dani bowman David Johnston DeliciousKashmiri Dustin Eric Meer Karen Haskell Ken Board Mehdi Damou Robert Young Roy Lasris Salih Arslan Twitter http://www.twitter.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.twitter.com/okaytobesmart Instagram http://www.instagram.com/DrJoeHanson http://www.instagram.com/okaytobesmart Merch null Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmartpbs/