The science of ghosts

(members:陳羿勳、楊杰恩) 

Article：The science of ghosts

website： https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/

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1.The science of ghosts

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Main idea：

Sometimes, people may feel that they encounter supernatural beings, but in fact, most of those are bogus. In some special cases, our brain messes up, adds, or ignores signals, which leads to hallucinations. So we don't need to be afraid of it: instead, we should think more about the principle behind it.

Supporting details：

1.

When you mishear the lyrics in a song, your brain filled in a meaning that wasn’t there. (And it will most likely continue to mishear those words even after you learn the right ones.)

2. 

The brain’s picture of reality sometimes includes things that aren’t there. But it can also completely miss things that are there. This is called inattentional blindness. 

 3.

 It’s so good that it sometimes finds meaning in meaningless things. You experience it whenever you stare at clouds and see rabbits, ships or faces. Or gaze at the moon and see a face.

Evidence：

1.

If you see or feel the presence of a loved one who died — and trust your perceptions — then “it has to be a ghost,” says Smailes.

2. 

Paying attention to all of it would overwhelm you. So your brain picks out the most important parts. And then it fills in the rest. “The vast majority of perception is the brain filling in the gaps,” explains Smailes.

Connection：

The last time when I was in a hotel, I felt I was paralyzed by a ghost.

However, after I read this article and some scientific research, I will no longer be afraid of ghosts.

Vocabulary X 8：

Bogus(a.)：false, not real, or not legal

She produced some bogus documents to support her application.

Pareidolia(n.)：a situation in which someone sees a pattern or image of something that does not exist, for example a face in a cloud

Religious pareidolia is when the eye sees religious images in objects such as tree trunks and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Bombard(v.)：to attack a place with continuous shooting or bombs

The troops bombarded the city, killing and injuring hundreds.

Misperception：a belief or opinion about something that is wrong or not accurate

We are trying to get away from this misperception that tennis is an elitist sport.

Whack(v.)：to hit someone or something noisily

She whacked him in the mouth.

Paranormal(a.)：impossible to explain by known natural forces or by science

This book is about people who claim to have paranormal abilities such as ESP and mind reading.

Hoax(n.)：a plan to deceive someone, such as telling the police there is a bomb somewhere when there is not one, or a trick

He'd made a hoax call claiming to be the president.

Dart(v.)：to move quickly or suddenly

I darted behind the sofa and hid.

Flail(v.)：(especially of arms and legs) to move energetically in an uncontrolled way

She ran from the house in a terrible rage, her arms flailing in the air.

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