The Cyclops (Halloween Special!)

Two is better than one. 

You might have not have noticed, but many living things, including humans, are typically sporting a PAIR of eyeballs. We have, as the experts call it, “binocular vision.”

 Luckily for us, Binocular Vision has advantages. For one thing, you've got an extra eye in case one gets damaged. You've also got a very wide field of view. One really significant benefit is depth perception.

Depth perception allows us to decode another creature's camouflage, or to detect an enemy hiding behind a distant column.

For those among us whose favorite color is “glitter,” you have binocular vision to thank for the effect of glitter’s transient scintillation, as one eye will see the tiny reflection of light while the other does not. You can examine this by focusing on a sparkle and closing one eye, then the other.

Playing with the "Cyclopean Image" 

The Cyclopean image is the single image constructed by the brain from two separate inputs.

To make a floating finger, put the tips of your fingers together. Focus on a point just above your hands, like something on the wall, while still paying attention to what your fingers look like. Slowly pull your hands apart, and ta-da! You’ve tricked your brain!

You can also try pointing at a door handle or corner. Close each eye, one at a time. Which eye commanded your action? Now your eyes are fooling YOU.

Last fun fact of the day:

It is commonly said that the legend of Cyclops came from the first discovery of these monstrous skulls:

As it turns out, that singular facial socket is actually the nasal opening in an elephant’s skull. That is, where the trunk goes. If you’d never seen an elephant on your part of the globe, would you have thought the same?