My son introduced me to the cutaneous rabbit illusion a few weeks ago. It's a pretty interesting phenomenon. Basically the nerves in your forearm aren't wired for strong spatial resolution, so the brain fudges a little to figure out where along your arm a given sensation originated from. As a result, some taps at your wrist and elbow can be perceived as a series of taps running up the length of your forearm, even though nothing touched the middle area. … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Where’s the (Roast) Beef?
perception
Science Corner: Yep, I’m a Cyborg
I have absolutely experienced phantom cellphone vibrations, only I didn't realize that was a legitimate phenomenon. I thought for sure I was feeling something else and just thinking it was my phone because I was distracted or something, which I suppose isn't all that far removed from the proposed explanation in the article. There's already a strong argument to be made that our smartphones, GPS devices, and similar omnipresent gadgets qualify many of us as cyborgs, but this kind of phantom sensation pretty much seals the … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Yep, I’m a Cyborg