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In 2004, a group of physicists at New York's Rochester University published a paper about what they called "light's most exotic trick yet". They managed to send a pulse of light through a specially-doped optic…

An interesting flaw in the VicRoads Hazard Perception Test is that the setup excludes mirrors and focuses entirely on hazards that can be seen by looking at the road ahead (and the footpath on either…

The science of perception is a fascinating field. Humans are constantly "seeing" things that they technically are unable to physically see. We synthesise different colours of light into blends, see depth in two-dimensional paintings, and…

As someone who's tried both, the difference between glasses and contact lenses is distinctive in many ways. One of the core differences is that contact lenses - unlike glasses - also enhance your peripheral vision.…

One of the strange elements of a lot of science fiction is that entire planets seem to have single environments. You have desert planets, jungle planets, snow planets, and so on. Of course, Earth is…

Many a comedian has remarked upon the logistical nightmare that Christmas must present to Santa Claus. Just how can one man, with one sleigh, travel all around the world and deliver presents to billions of…

Animals are among our most treasured companions, so much so that the old proverb claims that “a dog is a man’s best friend”. We want to share in so many of life’s joys with our…

All forms of travel require safety considerations. Naturally, these vary from person to person. If you're walking, then you don't need much safety equipment, though sometimes articles such as a sunhat or umbrella might prove…

In the past few decades, we've become familiar with the sight of cameras everywhere. They used to be a special-purpose device, used for taking photographs or film, and only taken somewhere to be specifically used…

Driving would be easy if everyone did exactly what they were supposed to. However, that is rarely the case. Driving safely on the road isn't just a matter of obeying the road rules; it's also…

Mirrors have a reputation for being unreliable. "Smoke and mirrors" is shorthand for the various arts of misdirection employed by stage magicians to deceive their audiences, and funhouse mirrors are well-known for their ability to…

The extent of our knowledge and awareness is an eternal question among the philosophers. For millennia, great thinkers have debated about the limitations of our senses and cognitive abilities, what we can know and perceive,…