A small experiment using sleights of hand and illusions offers insights into how birds and people perceive the world. By Veronique Greenwood The coin is in the illusionist’s left hand, now it’s in the ...

Most magic tricks require a fairly sophisticated understanding of how humans perceive the world. To fall for a trick, people have to see things they perceive as important and ignore things that are ...

Psychologists have long studied how magic deceives us. Illusionists exploit shortcomings in our attention and perception to prevent us seeing what is in front of our eyes, and learning how their ...

The first shows illusionist Brett Myers performed at the Bird-in-Hand Stage had an audience of eight or 10 people. Now, four years later, shows in the 151-seat theater are often sold out. Is it magic?

University of Cambridge provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK. Magic tricks can teach us about how the brain works. Magic capitalises on very specific blind spots in people’s attention ...

Jays react angrily when shown a cup-and-balls-style magic trick in which their favourite snack is swapped for a less appealing one. Their responses show cognitive abilities that may come into play ...