Time to have your mind blown. See the image above, and how the shapes seem to move and slither around? It’s not a GIF or other type of animation — it’s 100 per cent static. In reality, your rascally visual cortex is doing all the work.
If the image doesn’t appear to move for you, you’re not using a big enough screen (so those on mobile phones, basically). To get the proper effect, try looking at the image out of the corner of your eye, or view it on a PC monitor or TV.
How does the illusion work? Alice Proverbio, who shared the image on Twitter, is a cognitive neuroscience professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy. In a series of tweets, she explains the science of it.
V5 (or MT) is the cortical area devoted to motion processing, while V4 is devoted to color and shape (like the pentagon) processing. V4 neurons are saturated so much that the basal/rest firing rate of MT neurons is interpreted as an actual sensory signal
— Alice Proverbio (@AliceProverbio) October 12, 2018
It basically represents an example of Competition within the visual cortex, whenever a signal is attenuated or suppressed for whatever reason other inputs get the chance to be represented at higher cognitive levels, thus accessing percipient awareness
— Alice Proverbio (@AliceProverbio) October 12, 2018
Put simply, your neurons are fighting it out, with neither one quite winning. Here’s the full-sized image, where the effect is more pronounced.
I had to stop looking after after a minute or two, as it gave me a headache. Which is to be expected, I guess!
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2013/02/20-optical-illusions-that-might-break-your-mind/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_lfill,w_768/18dn2jrk78rmdjpg.jpg” title=”20 Optical Illusions That Might Break Your Mind” excerpt=”Viewer discretion advised! Do not scroll down unless your brain is made of steel and your nerves are Teflon. Some people simply cannot stand optical illusions. We know you’ve got some of your own. Link to your beloved eye candy in the comments!”]
[Twitter]