Content For Entire Special Issue Of Scientific American Mind Provided By Barrow Vision Researchers

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 13 Jul 2010 - 2:00 PDT

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Scientific American Mind has dedicated its entire issue to vision researchers Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD, and Stephen Macknik, PhD. at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. All of the content for the 72-page prestigious magazine features visual illusions that have been researched by the Barrow scientists. The magazine will be on newsstands worldwide through Monday, July 22.

In the magazine, the scientists explain why studying illusions can help vision researchers in their work. Eye-popping articles and illustrations about visual illusions fill the publication.

"Visual illusions demonstrate the ways in which the brain can fail to re-create the physical world," says Dr. Martinez-Conde. By studying these failings, we can learn about the computational methods used by the brain to construct visual experience."

The duo have been writing a monthly article for ScientificAmerican.com for more than two years. One of their articles was the most viewed in the website's history. About 10 months ago, Scientific American's editor contacted them about doing an entire issue on illusion. Drs. Martinez-Conde and Macknik contributed 10 articles and 169 illustrations to the special edition.

The researchers have a bold and unusual scientific approach to understanding perceptual puzzles and recently have been working with several well-known Las Vegas magicians to help advance science's understanding of the relationship between vision and the brain.

Dr. Martinez-Conde runs the Laboratory of Visual Neuroscience, and Dr. Macknik runs the Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology at Barrow.

Source:
Carmelle Malkovich
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center

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