My brother, Doug, just sent me these visual illusions. I thought the pictures were pretty amazing. Plus, I liked learning the science behind the illusion (see below).

Do you see what I see?

Flowing leaves – The brown leaf shapes against a green background make this look as if the entire group is flowing—making waves if you focus on the picture as a whole. Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Waves – The blue almond-shaped objects look as if they’re all passing over three separate columns. Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Starbursts -  These bright purple and green star-like shapes appear to be moving, which can be a little nauseating if you stare at it for too long. Photo courtesy of Angie Armstrong.

According to Olivia Putnal, from Yahoo!Health, what your eyes perceive when looking at one of these images is actually a visual illusion. You see the image as something different than what it is because the different cells and receptors in your eyes distinguish images and colors at dissimilar speeds.

The eye can only receive a limited amount of visual stimuli, but as your brain constantly processes the visual information, it gives you the illusion of continuous sight. Whether it’s an optical, physiological or cognitive illusion, the design plays a trick on your eyes (and mind).

Keep on tickin!