Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:33 pm by globalturbo
Ghost of the Machine: Sounds in the Paranormal
Some of the things we encounter in our lives seem to
be simply inexplicable, but our innate curiosity urges us to attempt to
explain inexplicable events nonetheless. By experimenting and making
educated guesses, scientists have learned that most of the phenomena we
once considered unexplainable can actually be explained by using the
laws of physics. One superstition that has stood the test of time is
society’s beliefs in ghosts. Nearly every culture believes in some kind
of spirit that exists beyond the human dimension. Elves, spirits,
djinns, ghosts – whatever you may call them, they have seemingly existed
in human culture since the dawn of time. However, scientists at the
National Physical Laboratory in England have reason to believe that we
people haven’t really been seeing ghosts at all; rather, we have been sensing auditory distortions!
Normally, humans hear sounds that are above 20 Hertz, a frequency of
sound. We can only hear sounds that are higher-pitched than 20 Hertz.
Frequency is not to be confused with the intensity (more commonly,
volume) of a sound, which is measured in decibels. Sounds with low
frequencies cannot be heard, but our bodies can still sense them. If the
intensity of a sound is high enough, in other words, if it’s “loud”
enough, your body will feel it. Think about how a car with a big sound
system shakes because of the bass. You don’t hear the music very well,
but you can still feel the vibrations (and so can the car).
Back to ghosts. Studies show that infrasound between 7 and 19 Hertz
can cause feelings of fear and panic in humans. Our eardrums pick up
these sounds and transmit them to our brain without setting off our
auditory sense. To study the effects of these sounds on human organs,
researchers from the University of Hetfordshire conducted an experiment
where they played music with and without tones of 17 Hertz frequency in
the background. When the participants heard (or felt, rather) the music
with the 17 Hertz tones, they felt nervous, anxious, and fearful. They
also felt pressure on their chests and chills down their spine. These
are the feelings that most people describe when they experience a
paranormal event. It is suggested by the researchers who conducted these
experiments that infrasound (sound below 20 Hz of frequency) is present
at supposedly haunted sites. Upon examining the frequencies present at
advertised haunted houses, researchers detected several wavelengths of
infrasound being emitted. They hypothesize that these frequencies caused feelings of panic and dread among visitors (Sydney Morning Herald).
But what does being in the presence of infrasound have to do with
feeling fear, anxiety, and nervousness? It may have something to do with
natural sources of infrasound: volcanoes, earthquakes, tiger roars, and
strong ocean waves. Our bodies may have evolved to detect the sounds
that we cannot hear, and we may have evolved to fear these dangerous
sounds.
Research conducted by Vic Tandy, a lecturer at Coventry University,
suggests that infrasound can even cause ghost sightings. Tandy knew that
that our eyes resonated at 19 Hertz. When he started seeing ghostly
grey figures in his laboratory, he began monitoring the frequency of all
the laboratory equipment. Tandy discovered that a malfunctioning fan
was emitting a frequency of 19 Hertz, caused his eyes to resonate which
caused. Once he fixed the fan, the ghosts stopped appearing. He
conducted similar monitoring experiments at a supposedly haunted Warwick
Castle and detected the same frequency, 19 Hertz. He found that the
right frequency can cause not only the emotions associated with a paranormal encounter, but also the visual aspects of one (Pilkington).
Just like other seemingly unexplainable phenomena, ghost sightings
have long perplexed scientists. But with the help of some simple
monitoring equipment, scientists have been able to unravel the mystery
that surround haunted houses. So next time you think your house is
haunted call an engineer, not a sprit medium.
TAGS: frequency, fringe science, ghosts, Science, sound
Thanks to: http://mysteriousuniverse.org
1 Comment and 0 Reactions- June 7, 2013
- Fatemah Mirza
Some of the things we encounter in our lives seem to
be simply inexplicable, but our innate curiosity urges us to attempt to
explain inexplicable events nonetheless. By experimenting and making
educated guesses, scientists have learned that most of the phenomena we
once considered unexplainable can actually be explained by using the
laws of physics. One superstition that has stood the test of time is
society’s beliefs in ghosts. Nearly every culture believes in some kind
of spirit that exists beyond the human dimension. Elves, spirits,
djinns, ghosts – whatever you may call them, they have seemingly existed
in human culture since the dawn of time. However, scientists at the
National Physical Laboratory in England have reason to believe that we
people haven’t really been seeing ghosts at all; rather, we have been sensing auditory distortions!
Normally, humans hear sounds that are above 20 Hertz, a frequency of
sound. We can only hear sounds that are higher-pitched than 20 Hertz.
Frequency is not to be confused with the intensity (more commonly,
volume) of a sound, which is measured in decibels. Sounds with low
frequencies cannot be heard, but our bodies can still sense them. If the
intensity of a sound is high enough, in other words, if it’s “loud”
enough, your body will feel it. Think about how a car with a big sound
system shakes because of the bass. You don’t hear the music very well,
but you can still feel the vibrations (and so can the car).
Back to ghosts. Studies show that infrasound between 7 and 19 Hertz
can cause feelings of fear and panic in humans. Our eardrums pick up
these sounds and transmit them to our brain without setting off our
auditory sense. To study the effects of these sounds on human organs,
researchers from the University of Hetfordshire conducted an experiment
where they played music with and without tones of 17 Hertz frequency in
the background. When the participants heard (or felt, rather) the music
with the 17 Hertz tones, they felt nervous, anxious, and fearful. They
also felt pressure on their chests and chills down their spine. These
are the feelings that most people describe when they experience a
paranormal event. It is suggested by the researchers who conducted these
experiments that infrasound (sound below 20 Hz of frequency) is present
at supposedly haunted sites. Upon examining the frequencies present at
advertised haunted houses, researchers detected several wavelengths of
infrasound being emitted. They hypothesize that these frequencies caused feelings of panic and dread among visitors (Sydney Morning Herald).
But what does being in the presence of infrasound have to do with
feeling fear, anxiety, and nervousness? It may have something to do with
natural sources of infrasound: volcanoes, earthquakes, tiger roars, and
strong ocean waves. Our bodies may have evolved to detect the sounds
that we cannot hear, and we may have evolved to fear these dangerous
sounds.
Research conducted by Vic Tandy, a lecturer at Coventry University,
suggests that infrasound can even cause ghost sightings. Tandy knew that
that our eyes resonated at 19 Hertz. When he started seeing ghostly
grey figures in his laboratory, he began monitoring the frequency of all
the laboratory equipment. Tandy discovered that a malfunctioning fan
was emitting a frequency of 19 Hertz, caused his eyes to resonate which
caused. Once he fixed the fan, the ghosts stopped appearing. He
conducted similar monitoring experiments at a supposedly haunted Warwick
Castle and detected the same frequency, 19 Hertz. He found that the
right frequency can cause not only the emotions associated with a paranormal encounter, but also the visual aspects of one (Pilkington).
Just like other seemingly unexplainable phenomena, ghost sightings
have long perplexed scientists. But with the help of some simple
monitoring equipment, scientists have been able to unravel the mystery
that surround haunted houses. So next time you think your house is
haunted call an engineer, not a sprit medium.
TAGS: frequency, fringe science, ghosts, Science, sound
Thanks to: http://mysteriousuniverse.org
