Subscribe now

Comment

The "science of weird shit" and making sense of the paranormal

Chris French, who runs the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, explores what lies behind claims of ghosts, aliens and reincarnation in his new book

By Wendy Grossman

1 May 2024

G2C3CA Tree trunk looks like smiling face in golden autumn garden

A cognitive bias called pareidolia leads people to see a face in this tree

Piter Lenk/Alamy

The Science of Weird Shit
Chris French (MIT Press)

DURING a TV show in the early 1990s, a man describes waking up in the night with a weight pressing on his chest. He could neither move nor breathe. He says this is the result of a visiting ghost. Later that week, on another TV show, a different man tells a similar story of waking up in the night with a weight on his chest. He, too,…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

View introductory offers

No commitment, cancel anytime*

Offer ends 2nd of July 2024.

*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.

Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account