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Time of India
19-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Optical illusion: This mysterious illusion can trick the human brain's reflexes
A new optical illusion, the 'expanding hole,' tricks the brain and reflexes, causing pupil dilation as if entering a dark space. A study reveals that 86% of people perceive the illusion, with black holes triggering stronger pupil reactions than colored ones. This suggests our pupils react to perceived light, not just physical light energy, offering insights into visual system complexity. If you are a big optical illusion aficionado and think you have seen it all, it's time to reconsider. Because this optical illusion is not just puzzling for the brain, but also tricks human reflexes at a physiological level. Yes, that's right. This is certainly not for the faint-hearted. This illusion, introduced in a 2022 study, is published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience . Expanding hole Look at this image. Do you see the central black hole expanding, as if you're moving into a dark environment, or falling into a hole? If so, you're not alone! This fascinating illusion, known as the 'expanding hole', is perceived the same way as you did by 86% of the population. This powerful visual phenomenon gives the impression of falling into a dark void, and according to scientists, it results in a physiological response - pupil dilation! A mystery to scientists This optical illusion has also grabbed the attention of scientists. "The 'expanding hole' is a highly dynamic illusion: The circular smear or shadow gradient of the central black hole evokes a marked impression of optic flow, as if the observer were heading forward into a hole or tunnel,' Dr Bruno Laeng, first author, and professor at the Department of Psychology of the University of Oslo, said in a statement. If you though optical illusions are mere gimmicks, scientists disagree. For the ones in the field of psychosociology, illusions are useful tools to understand how our visual system interprets the world, much more complexly than a simple device that just measures light. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search Ads Get Info Undo In this study, the researchers found that the 'expanding hole' illusion is so good at deceiving our brain that it even prompts a dilation reflex of the pupils to let in more light, just as would happen if we were really moving into a dark area. Pupil reflex and perception "Here we show, based on the new 'expanding hole' illusion that that the pupil reacts to how we perceive light, even if this 'light' is imaginary like in the illusion, and not just to the amount of light energy that actually enters the eye. The illusion of the expanding hole prompts a corresponding dilation of the pupil, as it would happen if darkness really increased," Laeng said. The researchers also looked at how the color of the hole (besides black: blue, cyan, green, magenta, red, yellow, or white) and of the surrounding dots affect how strongly humans react (mentally and physiologically) to the illusion. To test the illusion's strength, the researchers presented 50 participants (women and men) with with normal vision, to rate subjectively how strongly they perceived the illusion. When the participants gazed at the image, the researchers measured their eye movements and their pupils' unconscious constrictions and dilations. For comparison, they also showed 'scrambled' versions of the image with the same brightness and colors but no clear pattern. The findings What they found was striking. The researchers noticed that the illusion was most effective when the hole was black. Fourteen percent of participants didn't perceive any illusory expansion when the hole was black, while 20% didn't when the hole was in color. They concluded that black holes led to strong reflex dilations of the participants' pupils, while colored holes prompted their pupils to constrict. For black holes, the more strongly participants felt the illusion, the more their pupils tended to change in size. This link wasn't seen with colored holes. Understanding Brain Tumor Diagnosis Some were not susceptible The researchers found that a minority were unsusceptible to the 'expanding hole' illusion. They are unsure why. They also don't know whether other vertebrate species, or even nonvertebrate animals with camera eyes such as octopuses, might perceive the same illusion as we do. "Our results show that pupils' dilation or contraction reflex is not a closed-loop mechanism, like a photocell opening a door, impervious to any other information than the actual amount of light stimulating the photoreceptor. Rather, the eye adjusts to perceived and even imagined light, not simply to physical energy. Future studies could reveal other types of physiological or bodily changes that can 'throw light' onto how illusions work," Laeng added.
Local Spain
18-07-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Immigrants in Spain earn a third less than local workers
Immigrant workers in Spain earn 29 percent less than natives, a new study has revealed. Led by the University of Oslo and published in Nature Journal, the report ' Immigrant-native pay gap driven by lack of access to high-paying jobs ' was carried out by researchers from more than a dozen universities around the world with Navarra's IESE Business School participating in Spain. The results show a significant salary gap between foreigners and Spaniards, with migrant workers in Spain earning 29.3 percent less than locals on average, the highest figure among countries included in the research. This difference is similar to that observed in Canada (27.5 percent) but far ahead of other European countries included in the study such as Norway, Germany and France (20.3, 19.6 and 18.9 percent, respectively) and far exceeds the figures recorded in the United States (10 percent) and Sweden (7 percent). In the nine countries analysed, immigrants earn on average 17.9 percent less than locals. The report concluded that around three-quarters of the wage gap is due to the 'segregation' of immigrant workers into lower-paid jobs, while the remaining 4.6 percent is due to wage disparities within the same job and company. In the latter case, referred to as 'within-job inequality' in the study, Spain also stands out with one of the highest percentages (7 percent), surpassed only by Canada (9.4 percent) and closely followed by France (6.7 percent). The study, which analysed data from 13.5 million people including employers and employees, reveals that, by region of origin of workers, the average wage gaps across countries studied were: Sub-Saharan Africa (26.1 percent), Middle East and North Africa (23.7 percent), Asia (20.1 percent), Latin America (18.5 percent) and Europe, North America and other Western countries (9.0 percent). The exception are non-EU digital nomads who need to earn €2,762 per month to be eligible for Spain's Digital Nomad Visa in 2025, but they work for employers overseas. Fernando Pinto Hernández, Professor of Economics at Rey Juan Carlos University, stated in the Spanish press that 'the Spanish case is particularly worrying and highlights the existence of structural obstacles to labour integration, even for workers who have already entered the formal market.' This comes as experts forecast that in order to maintain the pensions system as a generation of Spanish workers begin to retire. However immigration has flared up as a sociocultural issue in Spain in recent times. The leader of Spain's far-right party Vox, Santiago Abascal, last week downplayed reports that the party intends to deport 8 million foreigners, including second-generation migrants born in Spain
Boston Globe
27-06-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Runestone that may be North America's oldest turns up in a Canadian forest
The runestone was found on private property in 2015, after the trees' collapse exposed it again to the elements of Ontario. The carvings quickly raised the specter of Vikings — there is only one confirmed Viking settlement in North America, in Newfoundland — but investigation soon knocked that idea down. Nor was the stone a forgery, researchers said, like the Kensington Runestone of Minnesota, which scholars found to be a 19th-century hoax. The Ontario runestone is 'a remarkable find,' said Kristel Zilmer, a runologist at the University of Oslo who was not involved in the project. The stone, she said, 'shows how such knowledge sometimes traveled with people, occasionally leaving behind finds like this one in rather unexpected places.' Advertisement Ryan Primrose, the archaeologist called to the site, near the town of Wawa, was among the surprised. 'I had never expected to encounter a runestone during my career,' he said. He soon reached Henrik Williams, a runologist and professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, who spent hours under a tarp studying the runes in a cold October rain. 'It was a drizzly day — even for a Swede,' Williams said. Advertisement The runes puzzled him at first, so he searched online for some of the words that he couldn't make sense of. He finally landed on a book he had seen before but never much considered: a runic guide published in 1611 by Johannes Bureus, who thought Swedes should use runes. ('I agree with him,' Williams said, 'but that ship has sailed.') He then pieced together the script, finding that it lined up with a Swedish and Protestant version of the Lord's Prayer. As for the boat? 'We're still working on it,' Primrose said. The carving was likely to have taken several weeks, and a Swede was probably responsible, Williams said. 'I don't think anybody else would have taken it upon themselves and reproduced it with such exactness,' he said. But although this gave the researchers a time frame — after 1611 — they have found no artifacts to provide a clearer date or purpose for the carving. The trees that fell were about 80 years old, Williams said, so the carving was most likely made at least a century ago. 'How much further back you go, I have no idea,' he said. The discovery puts the runestone among a handful found in Canada and the United States; the oldest to be dated with confidence is from the 1880s. Most 'do not pretend to be old at all,' Williams said, and a few are mysteries — their runes obscure and the purposes unknown. The one in Ontario 'could very well be the oldest one yet,' he said. 'I think it probably is.' In Canada, the researchers scoured regional archives, finding that at least a handful of Swedes were among those employed by the Hudson's Bay Company on Lake Superior in the 1800s, said Johanna Rowe, the local historian. Advertisement Primrose said the stone may have been carved as a personal act of devotion, or to be a point of congregation. 'It still remains a mystery,' he said. 'Most people don't realize what's in their own backyard unless they look,' Rowe said. 'Every community should do a little digging.' Shannon Lewis-Simpson, an archaeologist at Memorial University in Newfoundland who was not involved in the research, said the team was 'probably right' that a 19th-century Swede had made the carving. 'There's a lot of long winter nights up there,' she said. 'Why not carve up a runestone with the Lord's Prayer? But why cover it up with dirt afterward? Humans are strange, and that's why archaeology is fascinating.' The researchers did not immediately share news of the discovery, in part because they had to work out terms with the property's owner. Primrose hopes the site will eventually be open to visitors, but the team has not disclosed the owner's identity or the stone's exact location. Even Wawa's mayor, Melanie Pilon, found out about the stone only a few years ago. 'It was definitely on a need-to-know basis,' she said. When she visited, she said, she felt 'an aura about the site,' calling it 'magnificent.' Primrose said that the researchers now hoped the public could offer more information. 'We invite anyone to please reach out if they have it, especially historical records,' he said. Lewis-Simpson commended the researchers for their caution, noting that many people might jump to conclusions about a newly found runestone. 'If anyone turns up anything that's slightly runic everyone thinks it must be 'lost Vikings,'' she said. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Local Norway
05-06-2025
- Local Norway
'I planned to get by with English': Is it worth the effort to learn Norwegian?
With nearly everyone fluent in English and many AI language tools available, it's tempting for many foreigners coming to Norway to coast by and not bother to learn the language. But those that do bother often find learning Norwegian helps build deeper social connections, opens up career opportunities, and fosters a stronger sense of belonging. In Norway, language levels follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), ranging from beginner (A1–A2) to intermediate (B1–B2) and advanced (C1–C2). While many jobs and daily interactions can be managed in English, reaching at least a B1 level in Norwegian is often encouraged for deeper social integration, and is now required when applying for citizenship. Alejandro Viquez, from Mexico. Photo: private Alejandro Viquez (38) , from Mexico City, feels lucky he got the opportunity to study the first three levels at the University of Oslo for free ‒ a benefit offered to international students enrolled in a Master's degree at the institution. It was the reason he moved to Norway in the first place ten years ago. Advertisement 'I thought: this is a new language to learn and this is free - this is cool,' he says. 'And it turned out great. The teachers were very good, I got to know new international friends who were all in the same boat as me. In addition, if you, as a student, finished the classes, that was a great tool - whether you wanted to apply for different visas, basically those hours and exams. If you used it well, it could be very fruitful.' Work hasn't been the main motivation to keep studying and practicing, though. 'I have been working mainly in an international environment," says the Senior Communication Manager at Kahoot!. The turning point came when he moved 20 minutes by train outside of Oslo, where people are more used to speaking Norwegian. 'That helped me a lot. In a smaller city, you see the same people more often at the gym, grocery store so you need to interact. You have no choice but to use your Norwegian. I saw that when you actively put in effort and they understand you, you're in.' Today, he is fluent. 'Of course I make mistakes, and sometimes I use the wrong formulation, probably because I'm thinking in Spanish or English format. But people understand. It takes a bit of courage to speak, so I would say to anyone starting now: just give it a shot.' Alistair Franke, from London. Photo: private Social integration was also the reason why London-born Alistair Franke (31) rolled up his sleeves and studied the language. He moved to Oslo four years ago to work in finance and now balances his time between consulting and creating content for his successful Become Norwegian Instagram account. As a 'nearly fluent' speaker, he was determined to learn Norwegian the moment he set foot at Gardermoen Airport. 'I don't like the idea of being a typical 'Brit abroad' who doesn't bother to learn the local language, so for me it's very important to at least try,' says Alistair, who hasn't taken any formal lessons, just tried to immerse himself as much as possible. Advertisement Although he never felt excluded, he believes that not understanding Norwegian can certainly make social situations more challenging. 'For example, at a party or gathering where everyone is speaking Norwegian, it makes it that bit harder to join in. But 90 percent of the time, Norwegians will happily switch to English if they realise you're not keeping up. This is both a blessing and a curse.' To break that pattern, he focused less on getting things perfect and more on just being understood or getting the gist. 'Usually, as long as you say something 'mostly correct', it's enough.' For someone moving to Norway, Alistair has two tips: 'Embrace all the typical aspects of Norwegian culture, even the things you think are weird - that makes everything more enjoyable. Plus, I often ask friends to text me in Norwegian. This is great practice, and it's really easy to copy and paste into Translate for the words I don't understand. They won't even know!' Letícia Ribeiro. Photo: private If Alistair quickly started learning Norwegian to integrate despite working in English, for Brazilian Letícia Ribeiro (33) , Subsea Engineer at Equinor, it was the other way around. She already worked at the company in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro and moved to Norway on a short-term assignment. 'Initially, the plan was to survive with English. As usual, the first year is full of things to adapt to, and the language was not on top of the priorities. At work, I was in a very international team, and it was working fine with my English.' That mindset shifted when her role changed to a department where more Norwegian is spoken, especially during water cooler chats, social events, and informal conversations. Advertisement 'I decided to start learning the language as a result of my own internal pressure. After the first year, once all the moving and adapting was done, I got to the point of feeling uncomfortable and tired of not understanding the language and not 100 percent participating.' She's been studying for the last six months with a 1:1 private teacher online and just finished A2 level. 'I'm still learning. I use it in basic situations, at the grocery store, for example, but not yet in full conversations. I study with the teacher, watch Norwegian TV with subtitles, and I love Duolingo.' A tip for those about to move here? 'This is a hard one. Everyone works in a different way. The best advice is to start as soon as possible so you can try and fail until you find the technique, tool, or activity that works for you. And don't give up. It's okay to take a break, but don't give up." If you want to know more about which different courses are available, check this guide from the City of Oslo. By Marianna Wachelke
Medscape
04-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Tracking Triptan Safety During Pregnancy
Prenatal exposure to triptans, alone or with other migraine medications, was not associated with a significantly increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in children born to mothers with a history of migraine in a new study. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a registry-based cohort study in Norway, using data from multiple national health registries between 2008 and 2023. The study included more than 26,000 children born to mothers with migraine, with the children followed up to 14 years of age. Among the mothers, 81% used triptans and 19% did not. Prenatal exposure to triptans and other antimigraine medications was determined by prescription fills from 12 months before pregnancy until delivery. Exposure was grouped as low use (42%), short-term low use (31%), moderate use (21%), and high use (6%). The primary outcome was diagnosis in the children of a composite of any NDD, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and language or speech disorders. TAKEAWAY: Among the 4% of children who developed an NDD during the study, ADHD was the most common condition. Children with any prenatal exposure to triptans had a slight but not substantial increased risk for NDD compared with those with no exposure (low use weighted hazard ratio [wHR], 1.08; short-term low use wHR, 1.05; moderate use wHR, 1.09; high use wHR, 1.16). These risks decreased to null when the comparator was in low use (wHR range, 0.94-1.01). A slightly increased risk for ASD was observed in children with moderate and high exposure to triptans (wHRs, 1.24 and 1.30, respectively), but the weighted risk differences were less than 1%. The probability of exposure to other antimigraine medications was less than 10%. Prenatal exposure to co-medications was not significantly associated with the composite NDD outcome. IN PRACTICE: 'These results are encouraging for people with migraine, who may be taking these drugs before they even know that they are pregnant, and this is helpful information for their physicians, who can make more informed decisions about treating people with debilitating migraine attacks,' study investigator Hedvig Nordeng, PhD, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, said in a press release. SOURCE: The study was led by Margherita Camanni, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy. It was published online on May 21 in Neurology . LIMITATIONS: The study relied on filled prescriptions instead of verified medication intake, potentially leading to exposure misclassification. The researchers could not assess the risk for specific NDDs in children after prenatal exposure to combined migraine treatments and individual triptans because of small sample sizes. Additionally, the study could not verify whether medication discontinuation at the last menstrual period was due to lower migraine severity. The possibility of live birth bias and confounding by other treatment indications could not be eliminated. DISCLOSURES: Camanni reported receiving a visiting scholarship from the Norwegian Research Council for this study. The other investigators reported no relevant conflicts of interest.
