Jason Goldman

Last week, vision scientists from around the world gathered at the annual meeting of the Vision Sciences Society, in Naples, Florida. One of the most highly anticipated events each year at the conference is the Illusion of the Year contest. Here is this year's winning illusion, submitted by Koukichi Sugihara, of the Meiji Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences in Japan. In this video, wooden balls roll up the slopes just as if...

Last week, vision scientists from around the world gathered at the annual meeting of the Vision Sciences Society, in Naples, Florida. One of the most highly anticipated events each year at the conference is the Illusion of the Year contest. Here is this year's winning illusion, submitted by Koukichi Sugihara, of the Meiji Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences in Japan. In this video, wooden balls roll up the slopes just as if...

Photo by Alberto Cueto via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Humans are, more or less, a cooperative species. But how is cooperation maintained when the potential rewards for being a free-rider are so much greater than the rewards for cooperating? New research by UCLA anthropologist Robert Boyd suggests that cooperation in large groups is maintained by punishment. Consider a small group of individuals: you and your friends. You all have personal relationships with each...

Photo by Alberto Cueto via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Humans are, more or less, a cooperative species. But how is cooperation maintained when the potential rewards for being a free-rider are so much greater than the rewards for cooperating? New research by UCLA anthropologist Robert Boyd suggests that cooperation in large groups is maintained by punishment. Consider a small group of individuals: you and your friends. You all have personal relationships with each...

Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building in Yushu county in western China's Qinghai province on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. A series of strong earthquakes struck a far western Tibetan area of China on Wednesday, killing at least 400 people and injuring more than 10,000 as houses made of mud and wood collapsed, trapping many more, officials said. (AP Photo) Los Angeles has been all a-twitter about the apparent...

Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building in Yushu county in western China's Qinghai province on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. A series of strong earthquakes struck a far western Tibetan area of China on Wednesday, killing at least 400 people and injuring more than 10,000 as houses made of mud and wood collapsed, trapping many more, officials said. (AP Photo) Los Angeles has been all a-twitter about the apparent...

"When you grow up, the more money you have, the happier you are." "The only kind of job I want when I grow up is one that gets me a lot of money." These are statements that the majority of 9-14-year-olds agree with, and its got parents and teachers concerned. Many social scientists have concluded that today's teens are "...the most brand-oriented, consumer-involved, and materialistic generation in history."

"When you grow up, the more money you have, the happier you are." "The only kind of job I want when I grow up is one that gets me a lot of money." These are statements that the majority of 9-14-year-olds agree with, and its got parents and teachers concerned. Many social scientists have concluded that today's teens are "...the most brand-oriented, consumer-involved, and materialistic generation in history."

Photo by poloroid-girl via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr You can't walk three steps down an aisle in any store without running into eco-friendly or "green" products. You probably have many of these products. Is your refrigerator or dishwasher Energy-star compliant? Do you have a paperless Kindle? Maybe bamboo guest towels in the bathroom? A Prius? Why do you have all of these products? Is it because you care about the environment? It is?...

Photo by poloroid-girl via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr You can't walk three steps down an aisle in any store without running into eco-friendly or "green" products. You probably have many of these products. Is your refrigerator or dishwasher Energy-star compliant? Do you have a paperless Kindle? Maybe bamboo guest towels in the bathroom? A Prius? Why do you have all of these products? Is it because you care about the environment? It is?...