I’ll just start by reminding everyone that the posts on this blog do not always represent our views, and they are just for good healthy discussion!
“Has science finally established a paranormal effect?
Paranormal rappings associated with apparent poltergeist activity have been described for many hundreds of years. It is only now that an interesting pattern has been discovered within the fine detail of the paranormal rapping sounds. No explanation can be found for this pattern at present.
The current edition of the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), a learned publication dating back to 1882, carries an article by scientist Dr Barrie Colvin B.Sc., Ph.D., showing instrumental evidence for an inexplicable and objective banging sound detected in recordings made during alleged poltergeist activity.
Whereas raps and knocking sounds produced by ordinary means exhibit a normal acoustic pattern, those recorded in alleged poltergeist cases show quite a different sound signature.”
Read more at Society for Psychical Research (Thanks Tracey)
“the truth is out there”. Just don’t think we are meant to find it.
Great, another argument from ignorance / confirmation bias.
“I don’t know how ‘insert phenomenon’ happened so it must be ‘insert what I want it to be’.
Yeah, great science.
This is absolutely fascinating; thanks for posting it. I always enjoy hearing about scientific analysis of paranormal things. It’s an area that I think could and should be explored more. There is so much we do not understand, and to try and tackle something like this with a scientific mind is admirable.
It’s highly prejudicial of me, but I feel I can discount Dr Colvin’s research almost without looking at it because he has a Ph.D. yet still puts B.Sc . after his name.
it’s lou gentile, trying to get derren’s attention!
“There is so much we do not understand” – there is so much YOU do not understand. Science pretty much understands almost everything (down to the Planck level). Sometimes just there is no evidence or not enough facts for it to make a sure statement about sth.
Dr Colvin states: “Ever since my personal involvement in the investigation of a rapping poltergeist at Andover, Hampshire, in which it was absolutely clear that no normal explanation could account for the observed phenomena, I wondered whether the recorded raps were in any way different to those produced by normal methods. It is now clear that they are indeed different”
Aaand that is the exact moment when he’s lost all of my respect.
Any serious scientist should be loyal to the process of finding knowledge, not to the particular idea. The very moment you start to put more value in your theory, all your objectivity goes down the drain. (cont…)
That’s not to say that a scientist can’t be interested in a particular idea (that’s one of the main driving forces of science), but a favorite idea should be subject to even more scrupulous critique.
Also — classic fallacy. Unexplained does not mean unexplainable. Don’t say it’s supernatural just because YOU can’t figure out how the process works, because there are people smarter, more educated and just more scientifically literate than you, who will not stop, and will eventually figure it out, making you look like an dumbass in the process.
Remember, in science it’s okay to admit that you don’t know something!
A good scientist would say: “Having discounted several usual causes of noise the phenomena still remains unexplained, therefore warranting additional studies”.
Ranting, sorry.
Hmmm….I don’t know….It’s certainly interesting if poltergeist knockings DO have a different sound signature to regular knockings, but I’d like to see if a journal not specialising in paranormal studies came up with the same result.
I’d like to read a more detailed explanation of why they find the acoustical envelope of the supposed “poltergeist rapping” to be so unusual. Every sound has a different acoustical envelope. For example, when you pluck a guitar string, the acoustical envelope has a sharp leading edge (the beginning of its attack transient), but a bowed violin has a gradual onset.
Likewise, someone “rapping” on a surface would produce a sound with a fast attack, but someone “scraping” the same surface would produce a sound that rises in amplitude gradually, although it would contain a similar frequency spectrum as the “knock” due to being made on the same surface, and the natural resonant frequencies of the material in question.
Maybe this poltergeist was a tree branch? I’m just saying…
Interesting, but there could be many reason why this is the case. It would take a lot of evidence to prove that one kinda knock is only performed by poltergeists in particular for a start. A weird-sounding knock = a poltergeist’s doing it? Not that simple, methinks…
One night I started hearing rappings in my room. I checked it out, and it seemed to not happen while I moved around, but I heard them while standing still. Couldn’t quite locate them, so I gave up and went to sleep. For some reason, I also felt fear, but I convinced myself that if anything were to happen, I’ll deal with it, and I went for a pleasant sleep
Next morning, my house was invaded with ants. And I dealt with them. No more rappings.
I’m highly skeptical of this study. There are so many variables and with such a small sample set (though maybe surprisingly high) can any real conclusions could be drawn? No, BUT it raises questions. For example, does this warrant further study? Supernatural things can be explained scientifically. Why not search for a scientific answer?
@aaa : “… – there is so much YOU do not understand. Science pretty much understands almost everything…”
It’s close-minded to think we understand everything. And I wouldn’t accuse you of being close minded because as you admit, science “pretty much” understands “almost” everything. We have many theories (String theory) but a Theory requires evidence, and just because it might not exist yet, doesn’t mean evidence won’t prove the theory wrong.
I hear quite a lot of sounds I myself can not explain. Many of those come from the house .. and can be explained if you put effort and such into them. Some can be linked up to the mind, that can be its own radio at times .. and you its only listener …
If you can record those sounds from an unknown source it will become a bit more interesting for more people to check it out I guess .. if the one that recorded them is trustworthy that is. I do that too when my Central Heating system fucks up .. to give the mechanic a better idea (as it will never do it when he’s there ofcourse).
I will not record all sounds and voices in the white noise .. they probably only say nasty things to me … I’m very happy I can’t hear them. True spirits speak in person though .. you can’t record them.
The main finding of the paper is that the selected poltergeist rap recordings show a slower increase in sound intensity than you might expect from a normal knock on an object. However, in poltergeist cases the raps come from objects, like furniture or walls. If someone was hoaxing raps they would obviously hit the other side of the wall or furniture.
This means the sound would then come THROUGH the wall or furniture. In doing so, the higher frequency element will be removed. The remaining lower frequency sounds build up more slowly to a maximum, just as in the paper. Thus, the wave shapes found in the paper might be explained by normal sounds that have travelled through a solid object.
This isn’t anymore evidence than me hearing a whistle at night, I would love for there to be paranormal creatures out there but there is absolutely no evidence to prove it unfortunately.
Who cares anyway? Even if there is an extra-dimensionalbeing, or spirit that has come back after death, we’re talking about a being that spends it’s time making knocking noises and chucking stuff about (oh let’s not forget bothering adolescent girls-that’s a fav) – basically, extra-planar imbeciles. Let’s not give them any attention-it’s the only way they’ll learn to be interesting, well rounded phenomena
Everyone on the net is an instant expert on all things odd..
Its very simple..replicate and test..he has thrown down the gaunlet..if you can explain it,,,then fire away..the old “it might be explainable one day therefore..ignoe and mock it”.. is a special form of pleading….and just..dumb
Poor mans ad hominems about the way his title is presented..your kidding right..
Quote:Great, another argument from ignorance / confirmation bias.
Yep,,just like the instant audio experts on line here..
Rebut the data…or go back to sleep..talk about congitive dissonance examples..
Truly sad when instant experts react the same old way..and react like sheep..and use the same weak arguments from their version of logic as the “believers” they so readily mock..
baa
It is easy to replicate. Just move a tape recorder further and further away from a knocking sound source. You will discover, as I did, that the initial peak in sound intensity gets later and later. The delay, in the region of hundredths of a second, agrees with examples in the paper. The delay occurs because some of the sound is being reflected from surrounding walls, so arriving later than the most direct sound. The figures also agree with how long it would take for sound to be diverted by being reflected by walls in a typical domestic room. So, it IS possible to reproduce this phenomenon, in detail. Try it yourself and see!