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Interpreting emotions: A matter of confidence

A recent study by UNIGE and HUG researchers found that people's confidence in interpreting others' emotions is often skewed by their personal experiences. The study used functional MRI to examine brain activity during emotional recognition, revealing that areas of the brain linked to autobiographical memory play a key role in determini...

SourceUniversité de Genève·JournalSocial Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·DateDec 21, 2018
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.

Implicit perception of gaze

A study involving over 800 participants found that unconscious assumptions about extramission theory led to different force estimates when a person gazed at an object. The results suggest the brain constructs a social model with an invisible energy beam from others' eyes, influencing perception.

SourceProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateDec 17, 2018

Time-traveling illusion tricks the brain

Caltech researchers develop two illusions to demonstrate postdiction, a phenomenon where later stimuli retroactively affect earlier perceptions. The Illusory Rabbit and Invisible Rabbit illusions show how sound can influence vision, highlighting dynamic neural processing.

SourceCalifornia Institute of Technology·JournalPLOS ONE·DateOct 8, 2018

Sample size matters in multisensory integration studies

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found that smaller sample sizes can greatly exaggerate the magnitude of group differences in multisensory integration studies. Studies with sample sizes of 20 or less are more likely to produce inflated results, which can lead to incorrect conclusions and potential failures in therapy development.

SourceBaylor College of Medicine·JournalPLOS ONE·DateSep 20, 2018

Men and women show surprising differences in seeing motion

Researchers found that men and women show surprising differences in perceiving motion, with men picking up on visual motion faster than women. The study suggests that the difference may be due to disrupted processes in the brain that down-regulate neural activity in males.

SourceCell Press·JournalCurrent Biology·DateAug 16, 2018
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

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

Past experiences shape what we see more than what we are looking at now

Researchers found that brain activity patterns shift towards stored representations of clear images, suggesting that past experiences play a significant role in perception. The study used fMRI to analyze how the brain processes blurred images and found that higher-order circuits were more affected by clear image-induced shifts.

SourceNYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine·DateJul 31, 2018

Bridging the gap between human memory and perception

A study published in JNeurosci reveals the hippocampus plays a key role in predicting visual information based on past experiences. The findings suggest that memories can influence how we perceive the world, with the brain 'filling in' missing information to create a coherent picture.

SourceSociety for Neuroscience·DateJul 9, 2018

Inability to recognize faces linked to broader visual recognition problems

Developmental prosopagnosia often occurs due to a neurobiological problem in the brain affecting visual recognition broadly. The study found that DPs had reduced responses to faces but normal responses to objects, scenes, and bodies across all face-selective areas.

SourceDartmouth College·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJun 25, 2018

Do we subconsciously judge face-likeness?

Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology have discovered that face-likeness is judged by early visual processing, occurring within 100ms of viewing an object. This finding suggests that face-likeness recognition is a fundamental cognitive process, separate from traditional notions of pareidolia.

SourceToyohashi University of Technology (TUT)·JournalFrontiers in Human Neuroscience·DateMay 11, 2018
Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars deliver bright, sharp views for wildlife surveys, eclipse chases, and quick star-field scans at dark sites.

Neuro filter sharpens visual processing

A neuroimaging study found that the brain's visual system fills in missing information to maintain perception when visibility is low. The study, published in eNeuro, provides a more comprehensive account of how individuals perceive their world through vision.

SourceSociety for Neuroscience·JournaleNeuro·DateMay 7, 2018

Scientists discover hidden structure of enigmatic 'backwards' neural connections

Researchers at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown uncover exquisitely organized map of visual space in feedback connections, providing insights into visual perception. The study reveals that these connections encode information from further locations in visual space, giving lower structures contextual 'whole picture' information.

SourceChampalimaud Centre for the Unknown·JournalNature Neuroscience·DateApr 16, 2018

Sexual objectification influences visual perception

Researchers found that symmetrical stimuli are less likely to trigger an inversion effect when targets are sexualized, suggesting a cognitive mechanism behind human sexual objectification. Visual exploration strategies may play a role in this phenomenon, with lower fixations on the face region of sexualized targets.

SourceUniversity of Vienna·JournalPLOS ONE·DateApr 12, 2018

Optimized perception in the twilight zone

Research at Goethe University Frankfurt reveals that the human brain prepares for dawn and dusk by reducing resting activity in the visual cortex, allowing it to process weak visual stimuli more effectively during these times. This mechanism may have provided an evolutionary advantage in the pre-industrial era.

SourceGoethe University Frankfurt·JournalNature Communications·DateApr 10, 2018
Apple iPhone 17 Pro

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

Study reveals vision's role in vowel perception

Researchers found that people closely watch lip movement and shape when perceiving speech, with subtle distinctions between vowel sounds suffering without these cues. The study's findings have implications for designing more intelligible avatars and improving communication devices for the hearing impaired.

SourceBrown University·DateMar 14, 2018

Genes contribute to biological motion perception and its covariation with autistic traits

A study has linked individual variation in biological motion perception to genetic factors, revealing a common genetic basis for heritable aspects of BM perception and autistic traits. Genetic influences account for up to 50% of individual variation in local kinematics processing, while environmental factors shape global configuration ...

SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJan 22, 2018

Pong paddles and perception: Our actions influence what we see

A new study led by Colorado State University researcher Jessica Witt investigates the impact of actions on vision. The findings suggest that vision is influenced by actions, but this effect may not be entirely dependent on the participant's level of understanding the experiment's purpose.

SourceColorado State University·JournalPsychological Science·DateJan 3, 2018
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.

Blame tired brain cells for mental lapses after poor sleep

A UCLA-led study reveals that sleep deprivation affects the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other, leading to mental lapses in memory and visual perception. The researchers discovered that lack of sleep also slows down brain cell activity, causing sluggish cellular activity and performance issues.

SourceUniversity of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences·JournalNature Medicine·DateNov 6, 2017

Farsighted children struggle with attention, study finds

A new study by Ohio State University finds that moderately farsighted preschoolers have poorer scores on attention-related tests. The research suggests that uncorrected vision problems in young children can lead to deficits in learning and literacy.

SourceOhio State University·JournalOptometry and Vision Science·DateOct 9, 2017

Brains are more plastic than we thought

Researchers at McGill University have shown that practice can alter the way the brain uses sensory information, including visual perception. By temporarily deactivating a critical brain region, subjects who practiced with moving lines were able to perceive motion despite the region's inactivation.

SourceMcGill University·JournalNeuron·DateJul 19, 2017
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.

Visual illusion could help you read smaller font

Researchers found that exposure to a common visual illusion enhances ability to read fine print by improving visual acuity. Participants who saw clockwise spirals showed improved performance in reading letters at smaller font sizes.

SourceAssociation for Psychological Science·JournalPsychological Science·DateJul 12, 2017

Obstructing the 'inner eye'

Scientists have discovered that hypnotic states significantly impair deep processing operations while allowing simple perception to occur. This suggests that hypnosis affects specific regions of the brain when receiving visual stimuli.

SourceFriedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena·JournalScientific Reports·DateJul 7, 2017
GoPro HERO13 Black

GoPro HERO13 Black records stabilized 5.3K video for instrument deployments, field notes, and outreach, even in harsh weather and underwater conditions.

How the brain recognizes what the eye sees

Researchers analyzed how neurons in V2 respond to natural scenes, discovering three principles: combining edges, cross-orientation suppression, and repeating patterns. This work provides insight into the brain's ability to recognize faces, cars, and other objects.

SourceSalk Institute·JournalNature Communications·DateJun 8, 2017

You don't see what I see?

A recent study found that cultural differences in visual processing affect the ability to discern simple differences between geometric figures. North Americans took longer to identify a straight line among tilted ones compared to Japanese volunteers.

SourceKyoto University·JournalCognitive Science·DateMay 23, 2017

Repeating non-verbs as well as verbs can boost the syntactic priming effect

Researchers at National Research University Higher School of Economics found that repetition of nouns and verbs can enhance the syntactic priming effect. The study shows that repetition of any content word in a sentence boosts syntactic priming, with more repeated words resulting in stronger effects.

SourceNational Research University Higher School of Economics·JournalJournal of Memory and Language·DateApr 17, 2017

Algorithms can exploit human perception in graph design

Researchers have developed an algorithm to automatically improve the design of scatterplots by exploiting models and measures of human perception. The optimized designs effectively communicate relationships between two data variables, reducing unintended miscommunication.

SourceAalto University·JournalIEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics·DateApr 5, 2017
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Equatorial Mount

Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Equatorial Mount provides precise tracking capacity for deep-sky imaging rigs during long astrophotography sessions.

UChicago receives $2.4 million NIH grant to build visual prosthesis

A multidisciplinary team from UChicago is developing wireless brain implants that can convert camera input into electrical stimulations to produce useful visual perception in the brain. The technology could restore partial vision to people who have lost their sight, significantly improving their quality of life.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Medical Center·DateFeb 8, 2017

New research offers clues into how the brain shapes perception to control behavior

The brain can distinguish between expected and unexpected visual motion by selectively silencing neurons sensitive to yaw during intentional turns. This allows flies to stabilize their flight path and shift their gaze without interference. The study provides insights into how the brain processes visual information to control behavior

SourceRockefeller University·JournalCell·DateJan 6, 2017

Brain training video games help low-vision kids see better

A new study found that children with poor vision show vast improvement in their peripheral vision after eight hours of training via kid-friendly video games. The game trains players to pay attention to the entire visual field, not just where their vision is most impaired, resulting in up to 50% improvement in visual perception tasks.

SourceUniversity of Rochester·JournalScientific Reports·DateNov 30, 2016

It takes less than a second to tell humans from androids

Researchers at UC Berkeley discovered that humans use visual cues to quickly determine if something is lifelike or not. In real life, this allows us to navigate social situations and avoid confusion, while in the lab, participants accurately rated groups of images as more or less lifelike even when shown for just 250 milliseconds.

SourceUniversity of California - Berkeley·JournalNature Communications·DateNov 28, 2016
Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter

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

How the fruit fly's brain knows where the fruit fly's going

Researchers discovered a neural circuit in fruit flies that creates an internal representation of direction and velocity, allowing them to navigate accurately. This finding has implications for our understanding of self-movement perception in humans and other animals.

SourceJLM&A, SA·JournalNature Neuroscience·DateOct 31, 2016

A visual nudge can disrupt recall of what things look like

A study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that visual interference can disrupt recall of what things look like. The study, published in the Journal of Memory and Language, challenged widely held theories about visual knowledge and how it is processed in the brain.

SourceUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison·JournalJournal of Memory and Language·DateAug 26, 2016

Humans perceive time somewhere in between reality and our expectations

A new study using Bayesian inference models shows that humans anticipate future events based on past experiences, but the accuracy of their responses differs from reality when stimuli are accelerated or delayed. This suggests that our brain continuously updates probability of encountering future stimuli.

SourceUniversity of Birmingham·JournalScientific Reports·DateJul 13, 2016

Zebrafish reveal the ups and downs of vision

Researchers have discovered specific cell types and mechanisms responsible for orientation selectivity in the retina of zebrafish, shedding light on how we perceive and recognize visual stimuli. The study reveals that mutating a key protein called Teneurin-3 leads to a loss of orientation selectivity in neurons.

SourceKing's College London·JournalCurrent Biology·DateJun 30, 2016
DJI Air 3 (RC-N2)

DJI Air 3 (RC-N2) captures 4K mapping passes and environmental surveys with dual cameras, long flight time, and omnidirectional obstacle sensing.

Research shows how visual perception slows with age

Research shows that older adults experience age-related deficits in inhibition, leading to slower processing of visual information. This decline affects their ability to distinguish between familiar and novel objects, making it harder for them to perceive shapes and objects clearly.

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalJournal of Vision·DateJun 21, 2016

How the brain merges the senses

Scientists propose a computational model explaining multisensory integration in humans, utilizing a Multisensory Correlation Detector. The brain detects similarity across visual and auditory signals to integrate stimuli, opening new clinical perspectives for neurological syndromes like Autism Spectrum Disorder and Dyslexia.

SourceBielefeld University·JournalNature Communications·DateJun 6, 2016
AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope

AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope supports teaching labs and QA checks with LED illumination, mechanical stage, and included 5MP camera.

Why do people with Alzheimer's stop recognizing their loved ones?

Research by Dr. Sven Joubert reveals that Alzheimer's disease affects holistic face perception, leading to difficulties in recognizing faces of family members or celebrities. This impairment is observed even in the early stages of the disease, highlighting potential strategies for patients to recognize their loved ones for longer.

SourceUniversity of Montreal·DateApr 11, 2016

Penn research reveals brain region crucial for using boundaries to navigate

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that the occipital place area (OPA) plays a key role in perceiving boundaries during navigation. By using transcranial magnetic stimulation to disrupt normal processing, the team found that participants made more errors navigating around boundaries but not landmarks.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania·JournalCurrent Biology·DateApr 1, 2016

Scientists work their magic on 'shrunken finger illusion'

Researchers at KU Leuven found that the human brain completes missing parts of objects using visual cues, leading to the 'shrunken finger illusion'. This counterintuitive phenomenon suggests our brains rely on visual system, not imagination, to fill in gaps. The study's findings provide new insights into perception and cognition.

SourceKU Leuven·JournalCurrent Biology·DateMar 31, 2016

The invisible world of human perception

A study published in Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics reveals that people can intentionally exclude objects from their mental model of their environment. Test observers were faster at finding a target when the objects matched the color of the rectangle, but not when they did not, indicating top-down control over attention.

SourceUniversity of Toronto·DateMar 21, 2016
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.

What you know can affect how you see

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that expertise influences how people process visual information, with novices faster to identify letter pairs but less accurate. The study used the Arabic alphabet and showed participants 2,000 pairs of letters, revealing biases in expert perception that went beyond visual features.

SourceJohns Hopkins University·JournalJournal of Experimental Psychology·DateMar 1, 2016

Mastering the art of ignoring makes people more efficient

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that giving people time to learn what's possible to ignore improves visual search performance. Participants who were told to ignore distracting colors on a computer screen found the target letters faster and more efficiently over time.

SourceJohns Hopkins University·JournalPsychological Science·DateFeb 25, 2016

Dartmouth study helps fill in gaps in our visual perception

Researchers at Dartmouth College used fMRI to explore neural mechanisms behind filling in missing details of sensory information. The study found that intermediate object features are reconstructed in neural responses at early stages of cortical processing.

SourceDartmouth College·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJan 21, 2016

A horse's eye view: does a pony see what we see?

A study published in Biology Letters found that the eye views of ponies and other mammals are surprisingly similar to those of humans. Researchers used touchscreens to test visual perception in three ponies, comparing their results with studies on dolphins and chimps.

SourceKyoto University·JournalBiology Letters·DateNov 27, 2015
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.

The brain's dress code

A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study found that The Dress activates frontal and parietal brain areas, depending on perception. Researchers identified differential brain activity in participants perceiving the dress as white-gold versus black-blue.

SourceRuhr-University Bochum·JournalCortex·DateOct 14, 2015
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.

Surprise: Your visual cortex is making decisions

Researchers found that the visual cortex can make decisions on its own, switching between different interpretations of visual input. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the role of the visual cortex in processing visual information.

SourceMichigan State University·JournalNature Neuroscience·DateOct 5, 2015

Feeling blue and seeing blue: Sadness may impair color perception

Research suggests that feeling sadness can change how we perceive color, with participants who were induced to feel sad being less accurate in identifying colors on the blue-yellow axis than those who were led to feel amused or emotionally neutral.

SourceAssociation for Psychological Science·JournalPsychological Science·DateSep 2, 2015

Dartmouth study sheds new light on mind-brain relationship

A new Dartmouth study reveals that the brain encodes conceptual information in a way that combines object category-specific information with non-specific visual features. The research provides valuable insights into the mind-brain relationship, offering a deeper understanding of how we perceive and organize visual stimuli.

SourceDartmouth College·JournalNeuroImage·DateJul 20, 2015
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.