Science is Fun Fridays!
By now, you may have seen this illusion on the internet. Perceived by 86% of people as an expanding black hole, this new to science illusion is strong enough to cause pupillary dilation as if we're walking into a darkened room. I'm pretty sure my eyes are being tricked as I'm typing this with the image above. The reflex depends on perception, as opposed to reality. Here, the elements of light and dark are imaginary, meaning the eye adjusts not simply to physical energy. Researchers did evaluate reactions to other colors as well, and found that black appeared most effective. Further studies wish to understand why a percentage did not experience the expansion and dilation, although the strength of the illusion differed markedly among those who did. Neuroscience News
