THERE’S more to ventriloquism than keeping your lips shut. The secret, says
Jean Vroomen, is to distract the audience with well-timed dummy movements.
Vroomen and his team at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and at the Free
University of Brussels say this exploits a reflex brain reaction, where we think
a sound comes from a source of movement. In an experiment to mimic the effect,
they played a noise directly in front of a volunteer while a flash of light
appeared from the side. Most subjects thought the sound came from the direction
of the light (Acta Psychologica, vol 108,…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
Smart underwear detects lactose intolerance by tracking your farts
News

Environment
2026 will be the hottest year on record, leading scientist predicts
News

Technology
NHS England rushes to hide software over AI hacking fears
News

ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
The 4 biggest myths about hydration, according to an expert
Comment
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
We have figured out a new way to send messages into the past
2
Human heads have changed shape a lot in the past 100 years
3
The 4 biggest myths about hydration, according to an expert
4
The rings of Uranus are even stranger than we thought
5
Is consciousness more fundamental to reality than quantum physics?
6
100-year-old assumption about the universe may soon be overturned
7
We may finally have a cure for many different autoimmune conditions
8
Why dinosaurs lived much more complex lives than we thought
9
Why the keto diet could be a revolutionary way to treat mental illness
10
What does it mean if the universe has extra dimensions?