Message #24002

[Bianca]

                   




Geophysical explanations

Some researchers have investigated possible physical or geophysical explanations for dowsing abilities.



 Harvalik

The study, "Anatomical localization of human detection of weak electromagnetic radiation: experiments with dowsers," concludes that dowsers respond to a 60 Hz electromagnetic field, but this is blocked if the kidney area or head are shielded.


 Williamson

In a letter published in the journal "Nature", Williamson writes, "David Marks, in The Skeptical Inquirer, asserts that there are no theories to account for paranormal effects. This is not true for dowsing. Serious dowsing claims, such as those made by Soviet geologists, which are difficult to account for in terms of the reception of normal sensory cues, may be explained by postulating human sensitivity to small magnetic field gradient changes. The theory is supported by a series of tests involving 150 subjects. The magnetic theory predicts that dowsers can achieve above-chance results only if the features they claim to detect are associated with magnetic gradients of at least one nanotesla per metre. This was not the case in Randi's recent experiments, so his chance results are therefore consistent with the magnetic theory, which merits further investigation."



 See also

J. Francis Hitching
Michel Moine
Reveal the Power of the Pendulum: Secrets of the Sidereal Pendulum, A Complete Survey of Pendulum Dowsing, by Karl Spiesberger