Twitter Trial to Test 'Remote Viewing'

UK prof asks people to try out psychic skills online
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted May 31, 2009 7:06 PM CDT
Twitter Trial to Test 'Remote Viewing'
Backdropped by the mountains of Kunar Province in Afghanistan, the Kandaro Valley, part of the Mohmand Tribal Area, is seen in this aerial view in Pakistan, Saturday, Feb.28, 2009.   (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

A British psychologist plans to test the theory of "remote viewing" by asking Twitterers to identify far-off locations, the Telegraph reports. Professor Richard Wiseman, a psychic phenomena specialist, will show volunteers five photographs and ask which one a researcher has visited. If voters nail it in three of four trials, says Wiseman, it will support the existence of extra-sensory perception.

"I have staged several mass participation studies over the years, but this is the first to use Twitter," Wiseman said. "The instant nature of tweets allows thousands of people to take part in real time, making it perfect for an extra-sensory perception experiment. If the effect does exist then having so many people participate will help detect it." (More Twitter stories.)

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