Who doesn’t like a good ol’ fashioned ghost story every now and then?
There’s something quite intriguing about the mysterious, the extra-terrestrial, the
unexplained, and the unreal, isn’t there! OK, so some of them have little to no basis in reality…
but, still, every so often there’s a ghost story that, despite seeming completely unbelievable,
actually has some element of truth to it. This is Unveiled, and today we're exploring
four bizarre, paranormal events that are backed by science.
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For today's video, we're at something of a meeting point between science
and paranormal activity. Between the known and the unknown. We're taking a closer look at some of
the best examples of strange events that science either solves... or at least potentially solves,
by offering a strong explanation for. First, to the legendary green children of Woolpit.
The story goes that sometime during the twelfth century, two children, a brother and sister,
were found in the village of Woolpit in Suffolk, England. But in terms of appearance and behavior,
these were no ordinary children. It’s said that what most set them apart was the green color of
their skin. Their general behavior was considered pretty odd as well, though. Most notably, the
strange siblings refused to eat any food at all, electing to starve themselves for days rather than
taking anything the villagers of Woolpit offered them. That was until they finally came across
some green beans, which it’s said they hungrily ate raw. After some time, the other villagers
finally convinced them to try other food, which eventually led to the children of Woolpit losing
their green appearance. Finally, and significantly to the story, the sibling pair also didn’t speak
English when they first arrived… and so, when the villagers eventually taught them the language,
it’s said that the girl could finally offer some kind of explanation. It’s said that she said that
her and her brother had come from a mysterious land called St. Martin, a seemingly underground
place filled with more green-skinned people. So, what’s the verdict on this particular legend?
There have been a few possible explanations put forward. The first, and most obvious, is that
it’s simply not true. Despite the popularity of the myth, there’s precious little proof that the
children of Woolpit ever really existed. While it’s also been suggested that the green children
legend is more likely an allegorical tale, only. There have, however, been other more grounded
theories as to how the story could be true, or at least partially true. One of the more popular
reasonings for the language barrier is that the children may’ve been Flemish, as many Flemish
people did migrate to the east of England from mainland Europe during that period. It could also
account for the unusual clothing that the children were said to have worn. The green skin is more
difficult to solve, although some argue that the color might’ve been simply the result of a shared
dietary deficiency - known at the time as green sickness. There aren’t any seriously acknowledged
answers regarding the children’s claim that they came from an underground land, however.
Today’s second supposedly paranormal event keeps us in Britain, but this time for the
case of a woman whose life was reportedly saved by an unfamiliar voice in her head. According to the
story (recounted by amongst others, the publishing and media company “Ripley’s”) a previously healthy
woman had been reading alone at home, in 1984, when she heard a voice inside her head.
The voice implored her not to be afraid, before revealing that it and a friend had previously
worked at a children’s hospital, and that it (the voice) would like to help her (the woman).
Understandably, it was all quite confusing and frightening for the woman, who promptly left to
go on vacation… which is when she reportedly heard the voice again. This time it’s said
that the voice gave her the address of another hospital where she should go to get a brain scan…
which she did. The results came back, and only then did the woman learn
that she had a tumor. The voice had essentially guided her to precisely what she needed most of
all - urgent medical attention. To this day, there are no
solid explanations for how this event could have occurred. But the best proposal so far
(other than the outright paranormal possibility that the woman really did hear helpful voices)
is that what she actually experienced was directly linked to the tumor itself… it’s just that she
translated those feelings into a voice that just so happened to understand the situation. Kind of
like extreme intuition. In any case, the doctors were able to remove the brain tumor as a result,
and the woman experienced a full recovery. Our third example today doesn’t concern any
specific, supposedly paranormal entity or event, but rather a location. We’re heading to Gold Hill,
in the state of Oregon, and to the mysterious area known as the Oregon Vortex. This place is
famous for its bizarre and seemingly impossible properties. The standard laws of physics don’t
appear to apply here, where visitors have seen such seeming miracles as water flowing uphill…
and their companions appearing to shrink before their very eyes. It’s said, too, that Native
Americans even named the area Forbidden Ground due to the strange happenings that have occurred there
throughout history, including the fact that horses reportedly refuse to ever go anywhere near it.
Again, while there’s no standout scientific consensus as to how the Oregon Vortex really
works, there have been some theories proposed. The Scottish geologist John Litster, for example,
was once the owner of the land containing the Vortex, for some forty years in the early-to-mid
twentieth century… during which time he performed various experiments. Litster eventually concluded
that there was some kind of paranormal force at play, to cause the abnormal phenomena.
A whole host of others, though, including the famed magician James Randi, have theorized that
the seeming strangeness of the Vortex is more simply the result of various optical illusions.
And, for our final item, it’s more a paranormal category rather than an isolated event:
near death experiences. A near death experience (or NDE) is a perhaps surprisingly common event,
where individuals who narrowly escape death report variously intriguing circumstances unfolding as
they lay dying. Whether it’s a bright light, an out-of-body experience, an impossible vision,
a reunion with loved ones, or anything else, accounts of these experiences often defy our
understanding of life and consciousness. The fact that there are so many similar accounts, then,
poses something of a problem for science to solve. And, to some degree,
science does have some solutions to offer, with a lot of ongoing research into NDEs.
Perhaps the most often cited explanation is that the lack of oxygen in a dying
brain can cause hallucinations, much like many of the experiences that are reported.
With death fast approaching, it’s a stressful and unique time inside our brains… which some
scientists theorize could lead to various attempts to make sense of it, and the result of this
is an NDE. The fact that humans might draw on similar cognitive connections at this time,
too - such as the remembering of loved ones - is perhaps to be expected.
The fact that many reported NDEs include the patient hearing things arguably makes sense,
too, as that could be a last bid by the brain to gather more information before death arrives.
Others simply suggest that near death experiences are the best proof we have that our understanding
of the brain, consciousness, and how the two tie together is… incomplete. An out-of-body experience
like an NDE would seemingly suggest that our consciousness can exist apart from our brains.
Which, if found to be true, would represent one of the greatest and most significant scientific
breakthroughs in modern history. Of course, there’s still so much more work to be done
before science can provide a conclusive answer… but the sheer frequency of NDEs now means that
these are being treated less and less like a paranormal event, and more and more like
a testable aspect of the physical world. In general, as demonstrated by these four
examples, there’s still a vast amount that we don’t understand about life and the universe.
Science has certainly made terrific strides in the last couple centuries toward figuring out
how everything works… but there are still mysteries and inconsistencies out there.
Whether it’s a specific legend like the Children of Woolpit… a specific case like that of the voice
that told the woman of her brain tumor… a location like the Oregon Vortex… or an entire category
like Near Death Experiences. We have some of the answers, but perhaps not all of them.
Nevertheless, those are four bizarre paranormal events at least partly backed up by science.
What do you think? Is there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments, check out these other
clips from Unveiled, and make sure you subscribe and ring the bell for our latest content.