Illustration of a ring of circles drawn so that their outer edges are darker blue-black than their inner sides. This creates an optical illusion that the space in the center is a brighter white than the white background outside the circle ring.

| 3 min read

How the Brain Sees Illusions

Illusions activate specific neurons in the primary visual cortex that complete patterns based on experiences and reinforce the perception of certain images.

Photo of a cat with its shadow blending with the shadows of slats.

| 9 min read

A Serendipitous Shadow Brought the Brain’s Visual Pathways to Light

Drawing of a mouse scratching itself after watching a video of a different mouse scratching itself.

| 4 min read

Specialized Brain Circuit Makes Mice Itchy When They See Others Scratch

visual processing

Image of nerve fibers shown in green and red

Neurons Simplify Visual Signals by Responding to Only One Retina

Anne N. Connor | | 2 min read

Image of the Day: Virtual Landscape

Emily Makowski | | 2 min read

LED flight simulator for mosquitos

Image of the Day: Mosquito Flight Simulator

Nicoletta Lanese | | 1 min read

Rotating cylinder of black and white dots

Pupil Response to an Optical Illusion Tied to Autistic Traits

Abby Olena, PhD | | 3 min read

Hawkmoth Brains Slow During Dusk Meals

Bob Grant | | 2 min read

Through a Spider’s Eyes

Brittany Taylor | | 4 min read

A Spider's Eye View

Brittany Taylor | | 1 min read

Brain Structure Rediscovered

Jef Akst | | 2 min read

Page 1 of 1 - 11 Total Items

Trending

Photo of John Calhoun crouches within his rodent utopia-turned-dystopia

Universe 25 Experiment

A series of rodent experiments showed that even with abundant food and water, personal space is essential to prevent societal collapse, but Universe 25's relevance to humans remains disputed.

Image of a collage with human hands working with desktop icons in a collage style.

q.e.d: An AI Tool for Smarter Manuscript Review

A team of researchers developed q.e.d, an AI-powered system designed to deliver rigorous and constructive feedback on scientific manuscripts in minutes.

A brown dog stares at a spoon of peanut butter in front of its face with wide eyes.

Why Do Dogs Love Peanut Butter?

The reason dogs beg, sit, stay, and shake for peanut butter could be both evolutionarily wired and learned behavior.

A depiction of gut microbes in different colors inside the intestines.

Criticism of Autism-Gut Microbiome Research Sparks Pushback

Some scientists argued that autism-gut microbiome research is rife with conceptual and methodological flaws, from mouse to human studies. Microbiome researchers disagree.

Multimedia

Stacks of cell culture dishes, plates, and flasks with pink cell culture medium on a white background.

Driving Innovation with Cell Culture Essentials

Explore the latest in cell culture supplies, from tried and tested classics to cutting-edge innovative products.

Stacks of cell culture dishes, plates, and flasks with pink cell culture medium on a white background.

Driving Innovation with Cell Culture Essentials

Explore the latest in cell culture supplies, from tried and tested classics to cutting-edge innovative products.

December digest cover image of a wooden sculpture comprised of multiple wooden neurons that form a seahorse.

December 2025, Issue 1

Wooden Neurons: An Artistic Vision of the Brain

A neurobiologist, who loves the morphology of cells, turns these shapes into works of art made from wood.

View this Issue

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Stacks of cell culture dishes, plates, and flasks with pink cell culture medium on a white background.

Driving Innovation with Cell Culture Essentials

Explore the latest in cell culture supplies, from tried and tested classics to cutting-edge innovative products.

Stacks of cell culture dishes, plates, and flasks with pink cell culture medium on a white background.

Driving Innovation with Cell Culture Essentials

Explore the latest in cell culture supplies, from tried and tested classics to cutting-edge innovative products.

Abstract wireframe sphere with colorful dots and connecting lines representing the complex cellular and molecular interactions within the tumor microenvironment.

Exploring the Inflammatory Tumor Microenvironment

Within the tumor microenvironment, networks of cells and molecular signals form a dynamic landscape that drives disease progression.

An image of a DNA sequencing spectrum with a radial blur filter applied.

A Comprehensive Guide to Next-Generation Sequencing

Individual NGS methods come with their own pros and cons, but automation optimization solutions exist for all NGS workflows.

Products

Product News

BRANDTECH® Scientific Announces Strategic Partnership with Copia Scientific to Strengthen Sales and Service of the BRAND® Liquid Handling Station (LHS)

This partnership will enable both companies to reach a broader range of customers, including those with more complex and specialized workflows

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Enter Our 2026 Top Innovations Contest

Submit a cutting-edge product or technology for the chance to be recognized as one of The Scientist’s 2026 Top Innovations.

Biotium Expands Tyramide Signal Amplification Portfolio with Brighter and More Stable Dyes for Enhanced Spatial Imaging

Biotium's new TyraMax™ Amplification Dyes and Kits are available with the widest selection of colors for spatial analysis

LabVantage Solutions Awarded $22.3 Million U.S Customs and Border Protection Contract to Deliver Next-Generation Forensic LIMS

Ten-year Agreement to Provide a Secure, AI-enabled Forensic Laboratory Information Management System Supporting DHS Forensic, Scientific, and Testing Services