Spirits in the Lab: Science and the Supernatural

The room hasn't changed, only the way you see it; every familiar shape becomes a stronger after midnight

Every October to November, or as we say,  “The Spooky Season,” stories about mysterious creatures, supernatural monsters and ghosts fill the air. 

Sometimes so realistic we begin to question reality. 

But, most of us come to think, are these stories really true? Well, some of us think otherwise, saying that they only exist in stories or movies. However, in science, scientists have found ways to explain these spooky experiences.

So can we really say that ghosts are only present during Halloween?

Based on psychologists, they say that our brain tends to try making sense of things that aren't there—especially in the dark. This usually happens when our senses tend to work more attentively and work more sharper, under fear.  Which

 makes us feel things beneath our presence. So we jump to the conclusion of the presence of ghosts. This is called pareidolia, the scientific expression of  “seeing patterns that aren’t there,” like seeing shadows on a dark corner, or hearing your name being called in the silence.

So maybe that figure you saw in the dark wasn’t a ghost—just a combination of stress and fear. 

How about feeling a chilling cold? A cold spot in a supposedly haunted place? Physics may be to blame. Sometimes even air conditioning can cause random temperature drops. And there’s infrasound, another scientific term for low-frequency waves that we don’t hear but feel. Research says that infrasound can make you feel anxiety and fear, which makes you feel that even non-living items are moving. 

Of course, in today’s modern world, technology is never behind on trends. Today’s so-called “ghost hunters” use technology to “hunt down ghosts.” Devices like voice recorders, EMF meters, and night-vision cameras are loved by ghost hunters. In science, they believe that devices like this can pick up simple things–like phone signals and Wi-Fi. However, those “voices” people hear  in recordings are just usually the brain trying to comprehend words out of static.

But, that doesn’t stop people from trying. Physics major, Maya Lopez, quoted “It’s fun to explore the unknown. Science doesn’t ruin the mystery–it makes it even cooler.” That even mysteries need science to prove themselves. 

Amidst all the data and debunking, people still try to prove ghosts are real. Maybe it’s because we like to recover things that used to be with us but now aren’t; like lost lovers or family.

And despite the several facts debunking ghosts, this doesn’t mean that we’ll stop wondering whenever a light flickers, a door creaks or a mysterious figure shows up in our way. Whatever the reason is, it's all in the fun and connection. Stories like this add a spook to late-night strolls or even sleepovers with your friends. 

In the end, the real mystery isn’t whether ghosts are real or not, but why we keep looking for them.

Written by: Dominique Santiago

Cartoonist: Krystal Primero

Published by: Ms. Gen Santera