10 scientific explanations of ghosts and other paranormal phenomena

According to various studies, about 40 % of the world's population believe in the paranormal.

That is why we AdMe.ru decided to pick you up 10 stories and phenomena associated with the supernatural, but is easily explained from a scientific point of view.

And next time, before be afraid of shadows, afraid of poltergeists and ghosts, remember that everything can be explain rationally.

1. Haunted houses

1921, London. The family of Larinov moved into the old house on the outskirts of the city, which has got to them by inheritance from the aunt, and from that moment their life turned into a complete nightmare. In the house constantly heard someone else's footsteps, moving furniture. Children attacked by something strange. And the lady of the house woke up at night from what is above it stood the unknown woman. All were terribly frightened, depressed and totally exhausted.

Science: the cause of the nightmares was faulty the boiler, which, instead of having to lift the smoke to the chimney, filling the house. Family poisoned with carbon monoxide.

2. Moving objects

In 1853 4 the doctor decided to hold a séance at the call of the spirits, confirming experiment of the famous physicist Michael Faraday about the ideomotor effect. Subjects were asked to concentrate all attention and said that now the table, facing them, move to the left. The table really moved and even started to levitate.

Science: First, half of the participants said that the table will move to the left, and the second half — that is right. And the table is not moved. But when everyone announced that the table will go to the left, he even flew! Triggered the ideomotor effect, that is, the power of suggestion, forcing unconsciously move our muscles, lifting the table.

3. Life after death

This story was told to A. V. Gnezdilov, doctor of medical Sciences. During the operation the patient's heart stopped. Saved her. The girl told the doctor, as some force pushed it out of the body and then it was terrified: what if she doesn't have time to say goodbye to mom and daughter? Her mind instantly moved back home. She saw that the mother knits, and my daughter plays. Then came a neighbor, brought for my daughter polka dot dress. The girl ran to her, touched the Cup, and that and crashed. The neighbor said, "Well, that's good".

Gnezdilov said he went to the relatives of this woman. And it turned out that during surgery they... looked a neighbor with a dress in polka dots for girls and was a broken Cup.

Science: Dr. Stuart Hameroff and physicist Roger Penrose believe that our consciousness lives in the microtubules in brain cells, which are responsible for the processing of quantum information. During clinical death the quantum information leaves the brain, but does not cease to exist. That is why we know the story of the end of the tunnel and levitation over the body.

It should be noted that many other scientists do not agree with this hypothesis.

4. Ghosts and strange reflection in the mirror

This story happened in 2005. The young girl began to see his reflection in a distorted way, and the constant gray shade, taking a bath. She scared everyone with his behavior and really was going crazy until I discovered what happened to her water heater.

Science: Paranormal activity was caused by a leaky water heater, which filled the house with carbon monoxide. The gas is colorless, it is virtually impossible to detect. But he's very dangerous. Gassing leads to sensations of nausea, weakness, the confusion, may appear hallucinations, and eventually death.

5. Gray shadows

In 2006, renowned scientist Vic Tandy one night saw in his laboratory, a strange shadow that was watching him. Something gray and shapeless slowly approached, moved and looked in my eyes, but suddenly disappeared.

Science: In the laboratory of British scientist Vic Tandy recently installed a fan, which created a hell of a noise and rumble at low frequencies, inaccessible to the human ear.

A sound wave has a frequency of 18,98 Hz, which approximately coincides with the frequency of eye movement in humans. However, it remains a mystery why these "resonances" are taking any form.

6. Mass hysteria

In the city of Sylhet in Bangladesh in the summer of 2013 3 000 garment factory workers went on strike. And not for reasons of salary or work schedule — workers were asked to do something with the Ghost in the toilet that is attacking them.

Science: Workers experienced mass panic. This psychological phenomenon collective illusions under severe stress (due to some serious workload at work). Of the 3,000 people "Ghost" scared of a few, and the woman who got the whole rebellion, had never seen it. But the deteriorating health condition she blamed on the work of the evil spirit, in General, all circumstances are ideal, and that caused the hysteria.

7. Ghostbusters

All the so-called Ghost hunters use counts ions. They believe that the number of ions indicates the existence of the paranormal. However, some spirits, in their opinion, just change the number of ions in the atmosphere, while others (the wicked) eat the ion energy to bring people to white heat.

Science: In fact, the presence of ions in the atmosphere causing a huge number of factors, including the weather, solar radiation and other natural phenomena.

It is noteworthy that the charge of the ions affects the mood of the people. So, negative ions give a calm, positive — tired, and can even lead to headaches. Not surprisingly, in the houses, "inhabited by ghosts", people feel uncomfortable.

8. Spirits in old photographs

The story of this photo is quite banal. Sometime in the 1950s the Cooper family from Texas moved into a new house. Meals are the owner of the house decided to take a photo. According to rumors, the figure on the left is the old owner, looking for lunch.

Science: the authenticity of the photos has not been proven. But the frightening, isn't it? And here such horror stories is filled with the entire Internet. But before believe, just imagine how today distributed photoshop. Yes that there — we make sure you're in Paint draw or worse. And on old photos you always see less errors.

Let's not forget that dust particles on the lens or even small insects close to the camera and the photo extra fuzzy circle. And if we flash then the circle would be weird highlighted — is not a Ghost?

9. Contemporary photographs with ghosts

Science: These pictures probably did everyone. We add only that the parapsychologist Pamela Heath believes that the emergence of such round spheres contributes to a huge variety of factors, including the fine hairs, dirty or wet lenses, reflection lenses, the movement during shooting, as well as an ordinary rain or snow.

For reference: the Neuroscientist hospital of the University of Zurich Brugger drew attention to the fact that most patients believed that they had seen supernatural phenomena, dominated by the right hemisphere of the brain. It is responsible for facial recognition, certain types of creative thinking, visual images, music, etc.

10. Ghosts are wafted by cold

Fans of the supernatural believe that when a Ghost requires energy, they suck the heat from surrounding objects (including people). And such points are called cold.

Try to imagine that we are in a terrible, deserted place, and suddenly the air becomes colder and colder. However, we make a couple of steps, and again becomes warm, one step back — the cold. Really scary.

Science: But when the scientists undertake to study such "cold" places, they often detect the presence of the chimney, or simply the window through which the air gets so sinister way in the house. In General, to blame the domestic draft.

But if the house is suddenly no open Windows, no chimney, there is convection: some objects exchange heat with the other to balance the temperature. And this circulating air and is associated with "Ghost".

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»