This incredible optical illusion makes you see a hole in your hand.

Trippy.

What else is there to do on a Friday afternoon if not sit at your desk playing scientist with a bit of rolled-up paper.

Science writer, and stop-motion animator, Australia’s very own Vanessa Hill has put together a video explaining the incredible trick that makes it appear as though there is a giant hole in  your hand you can see through.

The first step is to take a piece of paper and roll it into a tight tube.

Then, you bring the tube directly up to one eye.

Take your hand, and bring it up against your other eye. About five centimetres away from your face.

After about 10 seconds, your vision will start to merge, making it appear as though there is a big, gaping hole, smack-bang in the middle of your palm.

The reason your vision merges, Hill explains, is something called ‘binocular rivalry’., and includes rolling up a piece of paper, and tricking one eye into seeing the hole through through it, while the other sees a full picture – therefore combing both images when using both eyes together.

“Two different images are being shown to both of your eyes,” Hill explains. “If your brain can’t combine these images, it just suppresses the image in one eye, and your other eye becomes more dominant.”

In the case of hand vs. rolled up paper tube, where the two images can’t be merged, your hand will be defeated, because it is the “weaker stimulus”.

This video is one of many from Vanessa Hill, her YouTube channel BrainCraft is full of handy how tos and explainers, from aging to hearing, from your guts to your sleep patterns. Hill’s channel has over 240,000 subscribers and you Visual Illusion video has been viewed more than 360,000 times. It’s only been up for a week! You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Science people. SCIENCE!