Brainiacs Episode 10: An Appetite-Regulating Pill, the Gorilla in the Room, and a Faster Path to Treating Brain Cancer

New research published in PNAS showed that participants engaged in a basketball pass-counting task were more likely to spot an unexpected gorilla if it was moving substantially faster than in the original 1999 experiment or if it was leaping instead of walking. “For decades, it’s been thought that when we’re intently focused on something relevant, like driving or playing a game, we fail to spot something that unexpectedly enters our field of vision, even if it is clearly visible and moving,” says NYU's Pascal Wallisch. “Our study questions the generality of this view.”