Use Foley to make sound effects

You’re in a dark theatre. Footsteps echo as the main character walks across the screen. But wait! You’re actually hearing someone else! This isn’t a plot twist – it’s the deceptive art of Foley. Have you ever filmed something with a phone or video camera and been disappointed with the sound quality? Wind and other … Continue reading Use Foley to make sound effects →

The Ig Nobel prize round-up 2022

As we reach the end of yet another year, it’s time again to do my annual write-up of this year’s Ig Nobel Prizes. Once again, ten prizes have been given out for research that is funny, odd, or just a bit different. And with no further ado, the winners are: Applied Cardiology – Eliska Prochazkova, … Continue reading The Ig Nobel prize round-up 2022 →

Eyes make self-driving cars safer

It’s hoped self-driving cars will make roads safer for their passengers, but what about pedestrians? Japanese scientists have recently experimented with one way of protecting people on foot – adding big eyes. When you’re deciding whether to cross the road, like at a pedestrian crossing, it helps to know whether approaching drivers have seen you. … Continue reading Eyes make self-driving cars safer →

Bees can’t fly over mirrors

Honeybees like to keep an eye on their surroundings as they fly around. While this generally helps them to navigate, it also means they get really confused by mirrors. In 1963, a pair of European scientists trained bees to fly across a lake. They noticed that if the lake’s surface was flat and smooth, the … Continue reading Bees can’t fly over mirrors →

Worms scare off prey with warning bites

Choosing what to eat can be tricky, but it’s a decision that even the simplest of animals have to deal with. Scientists recently experimented on a species of worm and saw it make complex food-based decisions. This is despite only having around 300 neurons in its brain, compared to humans’ 86 billion. Pristionchus pacificus and … Continue reading Worms scare off prey with warning bites →

People don’t stutter when no-one is listening

While most people dislike public speaking, some have it worse than others. Roughly one percent of people are stutterers – their speech is constantly disrupted by pauses and repetitions. However, this only happens when others are around to hear it. Many stutterers have claimed that they speak perfectly clearly when alone. However, this has never … Continue reading People don’t stutter when no-one is listening →

The Ig Nobel Prize round-up 2021

The Ig Nobel Prizes are my favourite event in the scientific calendar, so once again here's my summary of this year’s ten achievements “that make people laugh, then think”. Biology – Susanne Schötz, Robert Eklund & Joost van de Weijer Wouldn’t it be great if we could understand what our pets are saying? That’s the … Continue reading The Ig Nobel Prize round-up 2021 →

Cats sit in imaginary boxes

If you own a cat (or have ever been on the internet) you probably how much they love to sit in boxes. This also applies to squares drawn on the ground – even if it’s only an illusion. The Kanizsa illusion uses Pacman-like shapes to form the corners of a shape such as a square. … Continue reading Cats sit in imaginary boxes →

The Ig Nobel Prize round-up 2020

It’s once again time to celebrate the Ig Nobel Prizes, the awards for “achievements that make people laugh, then think”. On the 17th of September, ten prizes were awarded in an online ceremony – here’s who won, and why. Acoustics – Stephan Reber, Takeshi Nishimura, Judith Janisch, Mark Robertson & Tecumseh Fitch Inhaling helium to … Continue reading The Ig Nobel Prize round-up 2020 →

Illusions in Nature

Humans love to fool each other with optical illusions, but we aren’t the only species that falls for these tricks. Several famous illusions can be found in nature, each helping animals and plants to survive and reproduce. The Ebbinghaus Illusion Which orange circle is bigger? While they don’t look like it, they’re actually both the … Continue reading Illusions in Nature →