The Science of Illusions with Teller

[@StarTalk]

What's your favorite illusion?

[@chilliheadgaming5964]

Lakers snatching Dončič under the Mavs nose.

[@juancarlosvenegasaburto8729]

Cups and balls have a special place in my ❤, but card illusion are the best!

[@Expired.Lettuce]

Thinking Teller was a mute

[@michaelccopelandsr7120]

My great-grandfather was GREAT at pushing a penny through my hand. It was only recently that I found out he had ALWAYS carried two identical pennies. We were just reminiscing when I brought up how Grandpa always got me with that trick. That's when Pops told me.

[@W0A1]

The Illusion of control :)

[@alexhaladay4345]

Thing I like about Penn and Teller is that they don't treat you dumb. They show a respect to the audience that a lot of magicians don't do as well. Like, "Hello, Im going to try to trick you and we're both going to have fun doing it"

[@clv1959]

Nice one, they are good like that. It's not magic, it's a skill. It's a whole performance 👏

[@SaidThoughts]

Listening to Teller explain magic has made me realize, we could break magic down into mathematical form and find many secrets if we wanted to do the work. Sleight of hand, for example, is motion. If you calculated the motion of movement they make you can calculate accurately the direction the object arrived and vanished to.

[@W-I-C-K-E-D]

Let's wish Teller a Happy Birthday (February 14th) Although it will be his special day to celebrate,this interview felt like an early gift to all of us fans!TY

[@DirtyLifeLove]

I thought Teller transitioned with the thumbnail 😂.

[@SuiLagadema]

I remember never being attracted to magic tricks, until I saw Penn & Teller. Ironically, the "magic" was never my thing, but when they showed the "Behind the Illusion" bits, I had a 180° turn. They're hard working experts on creating illusions. Even if I know how the trick is done, what amazes me is how much hard work they put into every trick. I love their shows because every trick, illusions, etc, it's just decades and decades of experience, along with decades and decades of practical training for their tricks to always work, and work safely, as Penn has said.

[@markedly1013]

Exactly. How they do the trick is just as amazing as the trick itself.

[@nedludd7622]

You might be interested in seeing Ricky Jay do card tricks and other magic.

[@tims8603]

Their show Fool Us is great. They have 'magicians' on a stage doing 'magic' to try to stump them on how they did it. Penn And Teller are hard to fool because they've seen almost every trick in the books. It does happen but rarely.

[@niknok666]

zz

[@niknok666]

@@markedly1013 zz

[@guyincognito1423]

Back inn1990, Teller showed up at my high school (his alma mater) to talk about magic, and I've been fascinated by it ever since. Penn and Teller Get Killed is suchban underrated movie.

[@chris_stacey]

Definitely get Susana on again - that was brilliant! Oh, and get Teller on again as well! He says some really intelligent things for someone who doesn't speak. ❤

[@DaffyDaffyDaffy33322]

I would love a full episode with just teller. I love hearing him talk, he's very eloquent and intelligent. That's not to say your other two hosts here aren't brilliant in their own right, they certainly are, but I'd love to see more of teller!

[@bkbland1626]

Plus Penn talks too much. It would be balance.

[@MercyNoMore]

Came here to say the same thing. That would be great to hear.

[@SaidThoughts]

"You don't want to multitask, you want to single task" Again, not an expert, but unifying tasks is what leads to innovative thinking. I'm all about visualizing simultaneous functions, and if I only focused on one function, I'd have an incomplete picture.

[@GalapagosPete]

My son and I went to a Penn and Teller show in Las Vegas years ago, and afterwards they both came out to sign autographs and mingle. I had assumed that Teller’s thing about not talking would be like Harpo Marx, where he never spoke in public - but he did! And his voice sounded just like it should.

[@peterferguson2344]

Galapagos Pete 😁 what a great name,, this is coming from a guy called Pete who loves tortoises 👍

[@re575817]

StarTalk is amazing. Even if I don't have the time to watch it, I play it as background while I am working in my home. On a side note, Neuroscientist Susana Martinez-Conde is stunning. Thanks for the outstanding post.

[@pulltheplug6]

had no idea Teller can speak

[@Justakidthatrantsisapimp]

He can't. Neil is throwing his voice.

[@romulusmars1776]

He used to teach latin lol

[@chrisdiaz9061]

It's MAGIC!

[@Motionless_Puppet]

Neil is using advance AI to speak for Teller

[@drdumpenstein4868]

My wife and I attended a Penn and Teller show in Las Vegas for our honeymoon. I actually got picked from the crowd to be on stage. After the show, Penn and Teller graciously mingled with the crowd, took pictures, and yes, Teller spoke quite frequently and normally. Great show. Great entertainers.

[@realnikb]

The collab I never knew I needed. Damn. Haven't clicked on a video faster in a while.

[@petersage5157]

I love that Penn & Teller have always been transparent about how they pull off their illusions.

[@DucatiKozak]

That's not correct. Penn & Teller perform thousands of illusions and maintain the secrets. Their entire show Fool Us is based on other magicians trying to perform something Penn & Teller don't know, and the two never give away the visiting magician's secret. You are referring to a 20± year old act where they show some behind the scenes secrets, only to have another hidden secret produce a bigger magical climax. Also they show Bullsh!+ was used to debunk charletons & scammers who used similar techniques to magic. Those shows were "transparent ", but Penn & Teller are consummate professionals and maintain thousands of secrets.

[@VRplay86]

Teller ❤ thank you for making me and so many people happy 😁👋

[@SaidThoughts]

"Evolution won't lead to optimization" To me it sounds like the wrong choice of words, but I'm not an expert either. To my understanding, evolution has shaped and changed everything on earth, and even optimized it in many places.

[@tindoortailgator]

Wow, he Talks and has a Voice...Thanks, Stay Safe...

[@silaghitiberiu-alexandru34]

I think it's the first in my whole life and over hundreds of videos of magic, I ever heard Teller speak.

[@hilliard665]

He has done many interviews and spoken to many people about his craft, he just doesn't talk when preforming, its literally part of his mystic, also the play on words name swap, Penn tells, and Teller pens.

[@kosekpason2291]

WEE NEED AN EPISODE WITH AN ILLUSIONIST TRICKING THE BOYS AND THE BOYS TRYING TO EXPLAIN HOW THEY WERE DONE

[@AnantMall]

What a Damn collab! As a professional magician mentalist and science graduate this is DOPE! love you both!

[@adisario]

Thank you for the discussion! Will you post the entire interview with Teller?

[@proartcut]

I always thought that Penn and Teller was the impersonation of magic and misdirection. The big thing that draws the attention and the little one that makes the magic happen.

[@frogz]

whoa, this teller interview has blown my mind, been watching him and penn for years and NEVER heard his voice before today

[@RocRizzo]

Thanks for this special edition. It certainly was special to hear Teller speak. It has been many years since I have heard his voice. The topic was quite interesting, as usual.

[@NikoliMorales]

Wondering how these fellows have adjusted their diet and supplement plan after Dr. David Sinclair was a guest! they honestly both look more vibrant and youthful!

[@nigeltrigger4499]

This is perhaps one of the most important statements ever made! "Truth is what remains after you have ruled out everything that is false!"

[@LordLOC]

I've heard Teller talk before, but not like this. This was awesome, and unexpectedly fun to watch. Both Teller and Susana should be on again (along with Penn lol) to discuss this topic and related fields again down the line :)

[@NickGabor]

Unusual awsome..... a video about a white string migrating from Teller's cross to Neil's wrist.... the rest is the usual awsome!

[@EPS5000]

41:18-- The only people that assume spoons are hard to bend, are people that never scooped ice cream. That stuff with always bend the spoon. I've had to bend back and straighten so many because of that.

[@nedludd7622]

Cheap spoons.

[@EPS5000]

@@nedludd7622 No, I've had very thick spoons bend too.

[@matdrat]

You know, they make these magical things called ice cream "scoops."

[@EPS5000]

@@matdrat Ok Elon Musk, not everyone has such fancy devices in their home.

[@paulgracey4697]

As a docent at the Mt.Wilson Observatory I regularly observe an illusion along with the crowd when the dome gets turned. That is that, when standing or seated on the edge of the dome, looking at the telescope in the center, it appears to us that the telescope is what is rotating, despite my knowing that its foundations are built right into the bedrock. This phenomenon comes about because the dome rotates so very smoothly that we cannot detect that it is moving at all, yet we hear the motors start up and see the relative movement begin to happen. I eventually came to realize that a similar method was used by the illusionist David Copperfield when he very publicly on live television "made the statue of Liberty disappear" before a live audience.

[@sonnyboy5656]

she said Magic has layers like an onion and all could think about was Shrek, am i cooked?

[@writerseye]

Not my forte'.. but I do quite enjoy learning something new. Great episode.

[@Sundog1966Crosslin-e7n]

Being amazed at a confluence of events is an ecstatic experience. When one sets ego aside and goes along for the ride, then one can allow their mind to learn new things. Neuroplasticity. Our experience of this universe can generate Awe, if you let it,and you should. Because you are then one step closer to the truth.

[@zulkst]

Neurologist + magician. Neil u exactly know what we need. Totally nice time to spend time with

[@MarkPetursson]

I think Susana is my favourite guest you've had. Interesting topic presented and explained perfectly.

[@stephenholmgren405]

I've never clicked on a StarTalk so fast

[@aldrinmilespartosa1578]

Annimations are technically ilusions. Exploiting the limitation of our eyes to use images into motion.

[@shiroenthusiast7862]

Holy moly, the multiverse theory is correct. I could've sworn I was in a universe where Teller is mute.

[@shanytopper2422]

Oh wow, Susana Martinez-Conde is beautiful. Pitty that Neil and Gary don't let her talk more

[@CeanStrauss]

"Pitty that Neil and Gary don't let her talk more" I don't think this is an accurate statement in the least. Seemed like a well balanced conversation to me. Neil can definitely overtalk people at times, though this wasn't one of those times.

[@hilliard665]

Full Teller interview upload please!!

[@EternalSalaryman]

The way I see it is how she explains it... good enough. A philosophy I live by.

[@agorgedslug]

This was very misleading and therefore ultimately disappointing, Neil. I love your channel, but I saw a thumbnail of Teller, with a 50-odd minute run time and got really excited. No offense to this guest, she's very interesting and smart, but you've done her a disservice by not airing this AFTER the full Teller interview.

[@Denon232323]

Startalk made Teller talk!

[@paularchibald7734]

Had a retinal tear last year, lost about 50% of vision OD. I have frequent illusions to the right lower quadrant of that eye, like thinking the computer by my desk is the dog, or that traffic to the right are driving about 15 degrees rotated from level. Quite a pain! The perception of vision is marvelous, and is a lot more complex than people realize.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

I love tellers Homer Simpson cup. It makes me happy knowing he likes the iconic yellow family enough to drink from

[@katsuofujita6488]

Gary is more involved and seems to have picked up a niche for being a great presenter/host/persona. Though he likely already had those qualities and I was just blocking (I view enough sports to know other sports'casters/retired analysts by name) for the sake of science talk. Some of the best videos are in the 4-6 year old range, and its been great seeing Gary's evolution. Yes, thank you for allowing him to do your ad's. I know they'll never go away but the team did good by us by adjusting their ad moments, cuts, flow, and length; With Gary doing some of the ads, along with QOL ad improvements, suddenly this show feels a lot more ...something :) Aight peeps, time to revisit some old ST!

[@gwb19]

Amazing episode with amazing guests! Thank you Susana, Teller, Gary, and Neil!

[@cmurphy3748]

Dr. Martinez-Conde is a badass.

[@andypeiffer5]

A magic episode has been long over due!

[@masterhunter09]

Anyone else click on this hoping Teller would be miming the whole time? Instead we get a gut punch to the nostalgia with a talking teller.

[@ciceriuspanderius]

Brilliant! I have the book Sleights of Mind. Is such a fascinating read. and is very re-readable. I have had an interest in magic since I did a school project on Harry Houdini. The overlapping of magic and neuroscience is mind-blowing. Hah! I really recommend Susana's book. She not the only author but you know what I mean.

[@jamescatlin6240]

Hearing Teller's voice is the best magic trick I've ever seen 😮 well done, Star Talk!😂

[@lesiamany3391]

I love the science of the brain and all the senses especially the eyes. Very cool stuff!

[@denisebledsoe8836]

This is the second time ive heard Teller speak.. his voice is wonderful!

[@missh1774]

I am a magician and super hero to zoomers. Because they never played with broken phones and clocks and they didn't take techincal classes in highschool. Seriously it doesn't take much to be a God in their minds.

[@LofusYanchi-jt1yp]

So then that "aspect of illusion" she's referring to sounds to me like its the same reason other such things work beyond magic...things like abstract art, fiction and most films to even telling lies for that matter.

[@commandZee]

Excellent episode! Thank You!

[@fdk7014]

Penn & Teller are awesome magicians. Even when they tell you how the trick is done you are amazed, they are that good!

[@sashasmagic]

Came for Teller, stayed for Susana Martinez-Conde

[@da7a69]

Great episode 👌 thank you StarTalk team🙏

[@MikeIsCannonFodder]

Look for Penn & Teller's "Blast Off" bit; there's many versions on KZbin. It shows the kind of stuff that is done to fool you. Now it's not them showing the behind the scenes of a real trick; it exists to be its own thing, but it shows some kind of things magicians do.

[@juancarlosvenegasaburto8729]

love this!! all the time!!

[@svsguru2000]

He speaks!

[@NewChannel-wi7vj]

DOLT

[@adolfo21]

I hope you upload the entire interview with Teller

[@Thomas_H_Sears]

I used my extremely low-level primitive practice of stage magic in my teaching of science. I was inspired by my junior high science teacher who, on the first day, after taking roll told us to observe and write down what happened when she stepped out of the room. As she left she triggered a Rube Goldberg machine than was set up - it had been there for us to see: balls, rails, drops, spinners, dominoes and all that - and we had seen it all. Stuff was happening all over the room, and each of us followed our own path through her open maze. She was gone for likely less than a minute, I remember what surely must have taken fifteen minutes of my brain-time and the differences between what we had seen and written down WAS the lesson. Science IS observation, and observation fails. However, SCIENCE, succeeds.

[@MrXrisd01]

Tell is definitely looking old. Ive been watching them for over 30 years. True Legends.

[@sheridan140]

Got to meet Penn &Teller at a show in the late 90s, super nice guys in my experience.

[@tbishop4961]

Great choice! I'm impressed

[@tims8603]

Our brains take lots of shortcuts. We have limited time to process information and our brains can only handle so much at a time. There was a show called Brain Games that showed how easy it is to fool our senses.

[@TheWasthereonce]

The real magic is that you got Teller to talk.

[@Stevestevestevestevestevesteve]

They listen to my prayers, Chuck is not there😅

[@JC_Musician]

Love this episode! 🥰

[@TheMeditron]

Oh man, I love Tellar. I remember meeting after one of theri shows years ago and it shocked me when he spoke openly with me.

[@davelackey5943]

Took a class similar to this. I think it was a psychology class. This makes it a whole lot more sense kinda like asking the question you don’t know what you don’t know and when you know it, you can’t unknown it.?

[@DMD-n9s]

Neuroscience of fascism please

[@jeepliving1]

They started to go there with the discussion about how propaganda works. I thought they might get a little more into this but then pulled out early and left me feeling unfulfilled; so, yes, please; expand on fascism and manipulating the masses contrary to their own self-interest.

[@Gaominte]

what a wonderful episode!!! almost magical! 😛

[@allmightjunior6917]

Oh my god, half of my feed is magic videos (specially from fool us) and the other half is science videos, i feel like this conversation was made just for me.

[@knifetoucher]

Think this is the first time hearing Teller's voice

[@ricardoleonor1647]

I was today years old when I found out Teller could speak... LOL!

[@hilliard665]

As a long time Penn & Teller fan, im surprised how surprised people are Teller talks 😂 its just in magic he doesnt talk, its part of the show, Penn tells and Teller pens. Teller pens the scripts, Penn tells the scripts. I mean they work together but thats the idea

[@matoatlantis]

I don't know if it's me but I got irritiated by Neil constantly interrupting Teller when he wanted to get a thought across. And he did that with other guests too.

[@erickvermeulen9734]

Interesting. Imagine the fact that illusionists and magicians have to convince the whole audience, I think if one person sees through the illusion the 'magic' has failed. I had the pleasure to interview James Randi, a great magician and possibly the greatest skeptic of all times who felt he had a big moral responsibility to disclose the misuse of 'magic'.

[@usaverageguy]

When i noticed the rope had moved from the wall to Neil's wrist, I thought this video was a version of the invisible gorilla. Which is my favorite illusion.

[@paulcuse6583]

I love the camouflage aspect of her shirt. When she's not moving it's hard to tell what you're looking at.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

I don't know who this beautiful old woman is but I think Neil has a crush on her

[@JohnnyDepp-y6q]

🇺🇸🙌Quien lea este comentario le deseo todo lo mejor en su vida, que la luz llene su vida, que Dios lo guíe hacia la prosperidad a pesar de la crisis económica, ¡imagínese pagar $28,000 cada mes! Ahora puedo devolverle a la gente de mi comunidad y también apoyar las obras de Dios y la iglesia.

[@PatriciaGuadalupe-n1k]

¿COMO por favor? Sé que es posible, te agradecería si pudieras mostrarme cómo hacerlo.

[@GabrielaFranco-w5b]

¡¡SÍ! Ese es exactamente su nombre (Juanita S Murphy) por lo que mucha gente la ha recomendado mucho y recién estoy empezando con ella.

[@buckaroodeluxe]

Mi dedo wuele raro

[@DavidLópezperez-d8g]

El gobierno realmente ha dicho que las cosas son más difíciles para sus ciudadanos, y no podemos sentarnos y soportar todas las consecuencias del mal gobierno. Es obvio que nos dirigimos hacia la inflación; siempre son los pobres los que reciben el golpe.

[@PadmanabhanPoudel-t8t]

Por favor quien es Juanita S Murphy

[@Robcomments]

Can’t believe people did pick up on the misdirection 😂😂😂. Great video.

[@saschaschneider9157]

If a lion run at you, you could do the math how fast you have to accelerate in order to outrun the lion... and then die.

[@MaverickBlue42]

Where can we find the uncut Teller interview?

[@JorgeLopez-qj8pu]

30:00 I’m sure that comes from magician’s dealing with bad actors not just other magicians but the audience; digging through their trash, trying to figure it out. Rather than paying for the trick themselves. In any other industry we’ll sympathy with the presenter; Comedian would tell a joke an audience member laughs but then they get angry demanding “how” a comedian made them laugh; trying to immediately figure it out. We think their crazy trying to demand “how” the joke made them laugh.

[@stinkymccheese8010]

Teller hits it right on the nose and it applies to every form of engineering.

[@alu-truthapoet]

I've waited my whole life to hear his voice ☺️ I'm so excited thank you so much for delighting my life Teller ❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤☺️

[@PrankZabba]

This is awesome.

[@PhiloShotgun]

My childhood is ruined. Teller sounds exactly how I imagined he would lol

[@petersengupta]

would love to see penn on the show once too!

[@K_Isla]

Magicians would chase people with one blind eye, claiming they see all tricks with their single eye. How true is this?

[@MrSHADOWANGEL999]

Truly glorious

[@bsharp3281]

We talk about the limits of the brain like they're something we understand outside of ourselves. Does no one see the irony here?

[@kranwa15]

i have been dabbling in the art of magic tricks for a while, but also go to church, what i learned is, we want to believe, yep !! we just want to believe in anything, we're just suckers of the unknown or the unexplained, there's a part of us that look for this stuff, its like we're searching for whatever that makes us feel good, I wouldn't doubt if magic tricks have started religion.

[@MandosaWright]

It's always weird to hear Teller talk, because his stage character never talks.