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When the infamous fictional character,

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Carrie White, left her high school
Prom hall ablaze,

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and brought terror upon her town,

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she relied on her powers of telekinesis,

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the ability to manipulate physical
objects using the power of the mind alone.

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But while Carrie is just a fictional film
based upon a fictional book,

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belief in telekinesis
isn't fictional at all.

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For centuries, humans have claimed
they really do have the power

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to control the motion of objects
using only their minds.

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Levitation, opening doors at will
and spoon bending

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are all intriguing examples.

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It happens in the Matrix when Neo
freezes bullets midair,

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and its a skilled that 
Yoda has honed to a tee.

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But is telekinesis real,

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or just as fictional as 
Carrie, Yoda and Neo combined?

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To investigate, we need to evaluate
telekinetic claims

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through a scientific lens
using the scientific method.

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Telekinesis is part of the discipline
called parapsychology,

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in which researchers study 
psychic phenomena.

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Parapsychologists regard what they 
do as a science,

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but other scientists disagree.

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Let's start with a few basic observations.

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Observation #1:

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While there are loads of anecdotes out
there about telekinesis,

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there's no scientific proof 
that it exists.

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No studies conducted according to
the scientific method,

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and repeated under lab conditions,
can show that its real.

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In the 1930s, the so called father
of parapsychology, Joseph Banks Rhine,

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tested in the lab whether people
could use telekinesis

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to make a dice roll the way 
they wanted it to.

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But afterwards, scientists couldn't
repliate his results,

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and scince replication is key
to proving an idea,

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that was a problem.

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Aside from scientists,

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there are also countless
self-proclaimed telekinetics,

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but all have been exposed as tricksters,

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or can't perform under conditions
where they're not totally in control,

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suggesting that they manipulate the
situation to get the results they want.

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Today, there's even a huge stash of prize
money available from lots of organizations

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for anyone who can prove that psychic
abilities, like telekinesis, are real.

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But these riches remain unclaimed.

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Observation #2:

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When we investigate telekinesis,

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there's no consensus about
what exactly is being measured.

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Are powerful, Yoda-like brainwaves
at work, perhaps?

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Since nobody agrees, its difficult
to apply a research standard,

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something required in all 
other types of science

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to test the validity of ideas.

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Observation #3:

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The point of science is to
discover the unknown,

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and in the history of 
scientific investigation,

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its definitely happened

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that new discoveries have 
gone against established science,

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and even overturned 
whole branches of science.

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Such discoveries must be 
proven extra carefully

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to withstand skepticism.

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In the case of telekinesis,

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the idea goes against established science,

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but lacks the powerful
evidence in favor of it.

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Our Universe is controlled
and explained by the laws of physics,

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and one of these laws tells us
that brain waves can't control objects

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because they're neither strong,
nor far reaching enough,

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to influence anything 
outside of our skulls.

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Physics also tells us that the only forces
that can influence objects from afar

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are magnetic and gravitational.

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Probably the closest thing to 
telekinesis that science can explain

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is the use of thoughts
to control a robotic arm.

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In the brains of stroke 
patients who can't move,

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researchers can implant tiny wires
into the region that controls movement,

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and then train the patient to 
concentrate on moving a robotic arm,

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which acts like an extension
of their minds, and it works.

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It's amazing, but it isn't telekinesis.

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The patients thoughts aren't just vague,
undetectable things.

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They're measurable brain signals,


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translated through wires into a robot.

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Science can measure, test
and explain the motion,

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and that's how we've shown that 
this kind of mind control is real.

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Science is a slow process of accumulating


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the evidence that either stands 
for or against an idea.

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When we stack up evidence,

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we can see which tower grows tallest,

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and in the case of telekinesis,
its not the tower showing that it exists.

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Some say this mystical phenomenon
can't fit within the confines of science,

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and that's okay.

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But then telekinesis becomes purely
a matter of personal conviction.

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If something can be 
assessed scientifically,

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then it can't be described
as scientific, either.

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So the results of our investigation

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reveal that however much 
we may want to believe

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that the force really is within us,

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the case for telekinesis
remains weak.

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Sorry Neo, Carrie and Yoda.

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Your skills are mind-blowing,
but for now, they belong in the movies.