Research being conducted by a US university has shown there are possible links between the air quality of a room and the hauntings reported to have been seen in it.
A team of researchers from Clarkson University in New York said that human experiences reported in many hauntings are similar to mental or neurological symptoms reported by some individuals who have been exposed to toxic moulds.
It's known that some fungi, like rye ergot fungus, may cause psychosis in humans.
Clarkson University
Ghost busters: Thomas O'Rourke and Daniel C Schwab are working with Professor Shane Rogers
The university's Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Shane Rogers stated that the links were not yet well established, but notes that many hauntings are associated with prime environments to harbor moulds.
The team have said that the goal is not to debunk legends but to investigate why certain places are perceived to be haunted.
"Hauntings are often reported in older-built structures that may also suffer poor air quality.
"Similarly, some people have reported depression, anxiety and other effects from exposure to biological pollutants in indoor air.
"We are trying to determine whether some reported hauntings may be linked to specific pollutants found in indoor air."
Rogers, who himself is a confirmed ghost story fan, is working with a group of undergraduate students to measure air quality in several reportedly haunted places, such as the Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg New York, where there is a long history of ghost stories.
The team will gather data at this and several other locations throughout the spring and summer and will publish their results at the end of the study.
By comparing these samples to samples from places with no reported hauntings, the researchers hope to identify factors unique to the haunted locations.
They are looking for common attributes in the mould microbiome in the places believed to be haunted compared to the controls, and are also planning to analyse the types of toxic moulds that may cause psychological effects in humans.
World’s oldest woman died at 134
Record holder: Government officials claim Tuti was 134 when she died
A woman who is claimed to be the world's oldest ever person died this week at the age of 134.
Tuti Yusupova was apparently born on July 1, 1880 – which would make her 12 years older than the current record holder, Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997.
Government officials in her home country of Uzbekistan have backed a claim by her relatives to make the claim official in the Guinness Book of Records.
Tuti's passport and birth certificate seem to prove the claims, which would make her eight years older than the Eiffel Tower.
Her funeral was held in Uzbekistan, where a top politician said it was "without doubt" that her age has been proven.
Baxadir Yangibaev, chairman of the council of ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan – the area of Uzbekistan where Tuti lived – said that out of a population of 30 million the country had 8,700 centenarians, making it a very healthy place to live.
At the age of 134, Tuti lived through countless major events including two World Wars, the invention of television, the modern motor car, aeroplanes and the internt.
In a BBC video aired when Tuti was 128, the centenarian said her health was fine in general but her hearing wasn't what it used to be.
In a Russian documentary about the woman's life, Tuti said she spent a lot of her later years watching TV programmes after decades of hard labour.
She said: "I can tell you that the secret to a long life is to do lots of work in the fields and to live an honest life.
"Having lived through so many wars I would also tell the children of today to try and live their lives in the company of good people and to appreciate times of peace."
The speculation about her remarkably old age was never doubted by officials in Uzbekistan, where in 2008 she was honoured with a special price known as the 'Shukhrat'.
She was also visited by experts from the World Health Organisation who wanted to study her as part of research into longevity.
Tuti leaves behind more than 100 descendants who are all backing the claim for her world record age.
Yesterday, the world's living oldest woman Misao Okawo died peacefully in a nursing home in Japan at the age of 117.
The world’s new oldest person is American Gertrude Weaver, 116, who lives at Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation, a nursing home in Camden, Ark.
Great-gran of six Misao, who lived in Osaka in Japan, put her long life down to eating sushi, getting eight hours sleep a night and relaxing.
Born in 1898, she got married in 1919 and has three children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 1931.
She was presented with a certificate from the Guiness Book of Records officially recognising her as the world's oldest living woman when she turned 115.
Japan is thought to have more than 50,000 people over 100 years old, which is often attributed to the country's low fat diet of sushi and fish.
Teenager rejects university rejection
Ever been turned down from a job that you thought you were perfect for?
Well, you might want to follow the lead of the witty American teenager who sent the university who rejected her a letter – rejecting their rejection.
Siobhan O’Dell, 17, from North Carolina, applied to Duke University, but when they turned her down she refused to take it quietly.
The university was, however, unmoved, and even called her “unreasonable”.
Post published in: World News