Pulling a rabbit from a top hat. Teleporting from one cage to another. Finding a coin behind a five-year-old’s ear. Magic has long inspired a sense of awe and wonder, but one portion of the population ...

These magic tricks appear impossible even when performed casually. The methods rely on psychology, misdirection, and clever setups. No advanced skill or expensive props are required. Each trick is ...

At the “magic Olympics,” magicians from around the world compete to be deemed the world’s best. To win, they must fool each other. Every three years magicians from around the world compete in the ...

Psychologists have long studied how magic deceives us. Illusionists exploit shortcomings in our attention and perception to prevent us seeing what is in front of our eyes, and learning how their ...

Magic tricks can teach us about how the brain works. Magic capitalises on very specific blind spots in people’s attention and perception so the techniques that magicians use to trick audiences are ...