How to Weigh a Strange Claim
A fair toolkit for believers and skeptics alike: how cameras, sound, gas, sleep and memory can shape a strange experience, and how to weigh a report without dismissing the witness.
Faces in the Static: Pareidolia, Orbs and Ghost Photos
Why brains find faces in clouds, what makes 'orbs' appear in flash photos, how spirit photography began with William Mumler, and how to check a ghost photo.
7 min readInfrasound, Carbon Monoxide and Other Causes of a Haunted Feeling
How a 19 Hz fan, a faulty furnace and suggestion can make a room feel haunted, what the experiments found, and why carbon monoxide is worth ruling out first.
8 min readSleep Paralysis: The Science Behind the Night Visitor
Why some people wake unable to move with a presence in the room, how the Old Hag and Fuseli's Nightmare fit the science, how common it is and when to see a doctor.
7 min readMemory and the Eyewitness: Why Honest People Report Strange Things
How memory rebuilds events, why leading questions and other witnesses change what we recall, and how to weigh a strange account fairly without calling anyone a liar.
8 min read