• Question: could anyone have any supernatural power

    Asked by sadiebabes to Alison, Artem, Caroline, John, Gunther on 19 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Artem Evdokimov

      Artem Evdokimov answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      There is a fairly large prize waiting for anyone who can reproducibly demonstrate a supernatural power:

      http://www.skepdic.com/randi.html

      As well as a number of other prizes (see the Randi page for a list if you’re interested).

      So far, no claims have been proven.

      Now, with sufficiently high level of technology one may replicate nearly any ‘supernatural’ power (not all of them, some of these powers violate various laws of thermodynamics) – but of course it would not be supernatural since it would be science-based.

    • Photo: John Short

      John Short answered on 20 Jun 2012:

      Unfortunately not- the people that have supposedly supernatural powers are really con artists wanting your money!

      True Telepathy, the reading of someones direct thoughts is impossible by humans and genetics alone – although technology may give us a hand at some point as we can read peoples emotions using brain scanners etc. People’s brain waves, by technology, can be read to determine which word they are trying to say – this is being developed for people who are disabled or have certain syndromes/ conditions etc. However, psychics rely on probability, your body language, clothes and jewellery and observation to determine what you are thinking.

      Other powers include telekineses, talking to the dead etc – again these are con artists using trickery etc. If you watch the USA television series “The mentalist”, that is about a former psychic who helps to solve crimes etc by using his powers of observation.

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