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Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

Reading and visual health

Research by State University of New York College of Optometry suggests that reading lacks diversity in visual inputs, potentially leading to myopia development. The study proposes a mechanism where sustained reading reduces activation of ON pathways, causing eye growth beyond its focus plane and blurring vision at far distances.

How vision begins

The study found that a microscopic change in a protein in the retina occurs within a fraction of a trillionth of a second, triggering the perception of light. This process involves the transformation of a molecule called retinal from its 11-cis form to its all-trans form, which takes just one picosecond.

Visually navigating on foot uses unique brain region

A small study funded by the National Eye Institute found that a unique brain region called the occipital place area (OPA) supports visually guided navigation when walking, but fails to activate during crawling. This finding may help explain how children learn to navigate their surroundings and develop motor skills.

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

Hands-free tech adds realistic sense of touch in extended reality

A new 'multisensory pseudo-haptic' technology delivers believable tactile experiences in virtual environments by combining visual feedback from a VR headset with tactile sensations from a mechanical wristbracelet. This innovation keeps hands free, enabling long-term wear and more realistic user experiences.

Digital content could be altering your visual perception, new research shows

New research explores the impact of digital media on visual perception, finding that online environments can shift what the brain pays attention to. Studies suggest that excessive digital use can lead to a reduced sensitivity to oblique angles, but this effect may not be permanent once exposure to nature increases.

More variability helps learning

A study with human subjects found that varying training conditions led to better generalization of task performance, even in the presence of irrelevant stimuli. This suggests that more variability in training can lead to improved learning outcomes by enabling the brain to create invariant representations.

Product images could boost food pantry use

A recent study from Cornell University found that visual depictions of food pantry offerings, including brand names, have an ameliorative effect on negative product perceptions. The research also revealed that participants' pantry use history plays a role in their assessment of the quality of the food pantry products.

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock simplifies serious desks with 18 ports for high-speed storage, monitors, and instruments across Mac and PC setups.

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply powers sensors, microcontrollers, and test circuits with programmable rails and stable outputs.

Hearing is believing: sounds can alter our visual perception

Research found that sounds can influence how we perceive objects visually, making related sounds prioritize certain features. This effect was observed in three experiments, showing that audio input influences object-morph selection speed and accuracy when played during visual discrimination phase.

Brain cells use a telephone trick to report what they see

A new study from Duke University finds that single neurons in the visual cortex rapidly switch between reporting on two separate objects by alternating signals. When objects overlap, brain cells treat them as a single entity, suggesting a more complex encoding process for everyday perception.

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm)

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm) tracks health metrics and safety alerts during long observing sessions, fieldwork, and remote expeditions.

Most detailed map of brain’s memory hub finds connectivity puzzle

Researchers created a detailed map of the hippocampus's connections to the rest of the brain, finding fewer links with frontal lobes but more with visual networks. This discovery may change how we think about human memory and cognition, potentially shedding light on why some primates excel at certain memory tasks.

Inverted dancers have more acute visuomotor perception

A study published in Scientific Reports shows that individuals with extensive experience performing inverted movements, such as vertical dancing, can overcome the inversion effect in perceiving biological motion. This ability is crucial for survival and social interaction, but is impaired when movements are performed upside-down.

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter measures wind, temperature, and humidity in real time for site assessments, aviation checks, and safety briefings.

Machine learning gives glimpse of how a dog's brain represents what it sees

Researchers at Emory University used machine learning and fMRI to analyze a dog's brain activity while watching videos. The results show that dogs are more attuned to actions in their environment than to who or what is performing the action. This study offers proof of concept for decoding canine visual perception.

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope combines portable Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with GoTo pointing for outreach nights and field campaigns.

Can ‘random noise’ unlock our learning potential?

A recent ECU study discovered that tRNS can enhance neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to form new pathways and connections. This technology has shown promise as a tool to assist individuals with learning difficulties or neurological conditions.

What you know changes how you see things

Researchers at George Washington University found that people perceive objects differently based on their prior knowledge and experience, with manipulable objects perceived faster but with less detail, while non-manipulable objects are perceived slower but with higher detail.

When Alzheimer’s degrades cells that cross hemispheres, visual memory suffers

A new study found that Alzheimer's disease damages a circuit that connects the vision processing centers of each brain hemisphere, leading to disrupted visual memory. The researchers discovered neurons that extend axons across the corpus callosum, which connect the hemispheres, and showed that these cells play a crucial role in synchro...

Creality K1 Max 3D Printer

Creality K1 Max 3D Printer rapidly prototypes brackets, adapters, and fixtures for instruments and classroom demonstrations at large build volume.

Perception depends on whether you are looking up or down

A study by Toyohashi University of Technology found that the human visual system flexibly modulates observers' perception according to their posture. The research used the Necker cube as a visual stimulus and found a significant difference in probability of perception depending on the viewing posture, with a bias towards looking up.

Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach

Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach provides rugged GNSS navigation, satellite messaging, and SOS for backcountry geology and climate field teams.

Neuroscientists find new factors behind better vision

Researchers found that individual variation in primary visual cortex size and brain tissue can predict contrast sensitivity, with larger V1 areas and more cortical tissue leading to better vision at specific locations. The study reveals a new link between brain structure and behavior.

This illusion, new to science, is strong enough to trick our reflexes

A new study reveals an 'expanding hole' illusion that deceives the brain, prompting a dilation reflex in the pupils and making us perceive more light. The illusion is perceived by approximately 86% of people and affects how our visual system anticipates and makes sense of the visual world.

Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only)

Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only) delivers reliable low-light performance and rugged build for astrophotography, lab documentation, and field expeditions.

The limits of vision: Seeing shadows in the dark

Researchers at Aalto University have discovered a dedicated neural pathway in the retina that can detect even the dimmest shadows possible. This breakthrough could lead to unprecedented resolution in probing visual diseases.

Infants preferentially perceive faces in the upper visual field

A study found that infants aged 5-8 months preferentially perceive faces in the upper visual field. The bias emerges around 7 months and is specific to faces, with no observed bias for non-face images. This suggests an important role of experience with faces in daily life in shaping this perceptual bias.

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station offers research-grade local weather data for networked stations, campuses, and community observatories.

Warning: Objects in driverless car sensors may be closer than they appear

Researchers at Duke University have demonstrated a new attack strategy that can deceive industry-standard autonomous vehicle sensors into believing nearby objects are closer or further than they appear. This vulnerability highlights the need for additional redundancy and data sharing between vehicles to protect against such attacks.

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) runs demanding GIS, imaging, and annotation workflows on the go for surveys, briefings, and lab notebooks.

It's the rhythm that counts

Research reveals that the brain's electrical rhythms fluctuate between high precision and low precision states several times per second, affecting how relevant information is transmitted. Cross-frequency coupling enables selective attention by modulating the strength of different frequencies, while distinguishing between different type...

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter logs beta, gamma, and X-ray levels for environmental monitoring, training labs, and safety demonstrations.

How robots learn to hike

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new control technology that enables ANYmal, a quadrupedal robot, to combine visual perception of its environment with proprioception-based sensing. This allows the robot to tackle rough terrain faster and more efficiently.

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C)

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C) keeps Macs, tablets, and meters powered during extended observing runs and remote surveys.

Sleeping mice show busy brains

A new study reveals that the superior colliculus, a lesser-studied region responsible for saccades and facial recognition, dynamically changes its clustering of neurons depending on the mouse's conscious state. This finding suggests that the brain optimizes visual information processing based on its awake or anesthetized state.

Walking in a 360° video with foot vibrations for seated observers

Researchers developed a virtual walking system that uses 360° videos and scene-congruent foot vibrations to improve sensations of walking and perception of ground materials. The system was found to enhance walking-related sensations and telepresence, particularly in indoor corridors and snowy ground scenes.

Seeing shapes

Carlos Ponce is studying the parts of the visual system that analyze shapes, using macaque monkeys as a model. He combines computational models with electrophysiology experiments to understand how neurons process visual information.

Efficient coding: How the brain optimizes allocation of resources

A study published in eLife found that rats exhibit efficient coding processes for visual stimuli, similar to those observed in humans. This suggests a universal principle in vision, where the brain adapts to its environment by specializing in the recognition of informative signals, thereby conserving computational resources and energy.

Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter

Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter is a trusted meter for precise measurements during instrument integration, repairs, and field diagnostics.

Brief period of ‘blindness’ is essential for vision

Tiny fixational eye movements, beyond human awareness, are critical for fine details and everyday tasks. Microsaccades cause transient visual suppression during gaze shifts, but vision recovers rapidly at the center of gaze, leading to enhanced overall visibility.

Visual processing is slower in children with dyslexia

Research published in JNeurosci found that children with dyslexia take longer to gather visual evidence, indicating altered motion processing and decision-making. This slowdown corresponds to differences in brain activity, particularly in centro-parietal regions involved in decision making.

How does the brain create our perception of reality?

Researchers uncover how sensory inputs and cognitive processes interact in the brain to create our perception of the world. The study explores the neural basis of perceptual phenomena, shedding light on disorders like ADHD, autism, and Alzheimer's disease.

Colorblind fish show experts how vision evolved

New research in zebrafish reveals the genetic mechanisms behind blue and green color vision loss in human ancestors. By studying gene editing tools and genome sequencing, experts understand how genes are regulated to detect different light wavelengths.

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor tracks ventilation quality in labs, classrooms, and conference rooms with long battery life and clear e-ink readouts.