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  • So, you've just begun your road trip with some friends when you decide to read a book in the back seat.

  • But after only moments of reading, you start feeling dizzy, fatigued and nauseous.

  • Sounds like motion sickness...

  • The surprising truth is that about 30 percent of the population experiences motion sickness with over 66 percent of people experiencing it in extreme conditions.

  • This happens when your eyes and inner ear are sending different signals to the brain.

  • The vestibular system inside your ear contributes to balance and spatial orientation.

  • Tiny hairs inside the canal detect the movement of a fluid inside it allowing you to orient yourself.

  • If you lean to the side, the fluid moves and signals are sent to your brain to help you understand this.

  • But oftentimes, in a car, on a boat, or in the IMAX theatre your vestibular system is transmitting a different signal from your other senses.

  • In the case of your car, your eyes see that everything in the car is seemingly stationary, particularly when you stare at a book.

  • But your ears feel the movement of the car.

  • Conversely, in the IMAX theatre, your eyes see a lot of motion while your ear is experiencing very little movement at all.

  • This mismatch of signals tells the brain something's wrong.

  • So why does it induce vomiting?

  • The leading theory suggests that, evolutionarily, if the input signals from your ears and eyes weren't matching, you'd likely ingested a neurotoxin.

  • The easiest way to get rid of it? Throw it up.

  • This was a fairly useful and accurate system before the advent of technology and advanced transportation.

  • Too bad the brain never got the memo.

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So, you've just begun your road trip with some friends when you decide to read a book in the back seat.

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