6 ms·

When I was researching the Cuba cases, I stumbled upon this Wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_auditory_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

When I was researching the Cuba cases, I stumbled upon this Wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_auditory_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_auditory_effect. It says there is a mechanism where microwaves can cause you to hear sounds that don't exist. In the 70s, they apparently improved the method so subjects were able to recognize 9 out of 10 words, although I don't think it's been reproduced. There are some strange patents as well. The problem is this subject is laced with conspiracy theory because you'll find forums for people with mental illness attributing their symptoms to these devices. But it is interesting, and I'd expect if it were possible the military would have such devices. Has there been any proof that this method actually works?

katmannthree 5y ago
That mechanism, by the way, is microwave heating of the brain -- thermal expansion causes cranial pressure to rise, and by carefully modulating the microwaves those pressure signals are interpreted as sound by your inner ear.
- Enginerrrd 5y ago
  I previously have read that it's more specifically heating and cooling of the inner ear itself.
  - sudosysgen 5y ago
    It's the entire head that is being heated, but perhaps the inner ear is the critical spot.
    - R0b0t1 5y ago
      The entire head is being heated, slightly, but it can only cool by dissipating that heat to the environment. This happens slowly enough I do not see it as possible to achieve audible frequencies with such a heating/cooling cycle. The auditory effects have to be generated by RF, possibly frequency phased modulation, interacting with the inner ear.
      - nitrogen 5y ago
        The ear could be acting as a high-pass filter, so you don't need to cool, you just need to vary the rate of heating. Of course, that would mean that the temperature would be rising over time.
- DyslexicAtheist 5y ago
  It seems the burning skin sensation is used in "Active Denial System" weapons researched and tested by the US (mainly for "crowd control"): https://www.dvidshub.net/video/304622/solid-state-active-denial-technology#.Umk9zsvD-pp https://www.dvidshub.net/video/304622/solid-state-active-den... The Soviets focused on the non-thermal applications of microwave radiation which can cause a variety of symptoms making them plausibly deniable. A 1976 report by the Pentagon reviewed Soviet research: https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FOIA-Reading-Room-Nuclear-Biological-and-Chemical/FileId/39946/ https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FOIA-R... This article from few days ago has a lot more info than the CNN post: https://www.gq.com/story/cia-investigation-and-russian-microwave-attacks https://www.gq.com/story/cia-investigation-and-russian-micro... from the GQ article: > "The report detailed Moscow’s investigation of the effects of microwaves on the nervous system. Soviet, and later Russian, scientists found that exposing an animal’s brain to microwaves changed the frequency at which neurons fired. Neurons also became suddenly out of sync with one another. Some brain cells in mice were found to have withered. Nerves became damaged. The radiation also showed the potential to disturb the sacrosanct blood-brain barrier and, according to the DIA, resulted in “the alterations of brain function.” The most common symptoms reported in humans who had been exposed to microwaves for long periods of time sounded familiar: headache, fatigue, perspiration, dizziness, insomnia, depression, anxiety, forgetfulness, and lack of concentration. > Like Frey, Soviet researchers found that turning the intensity of the beam up or down could produce differing effects in its target. A target’s unique physiology—a slightly different curvature of the skull, for example—also determined how this directed energy would affect them. A weapon that created an ever-changing kaleidoscope of neurological symptoms would have a powerful psychological dimension. If everyone’s symptoms are all slightly different, victims might question whether they’d all been exposed to the same thing—or if they’d been hit at all."
  - permo-w 5y ago
    aren’t we constantly being bombarded by microwaves from our phones, laptops, TVs, etc? this worries me
    - nitrogen 5y ago
- R0b0t1 5y ago
  Unlikely. The symptoms presented in the article may be due to this, but the auditory effect is related to effects on the inner ear and bones.
dr_dshiv 5y ago
Are you familiar with temporal interference stimulation? I wonder if this could be induced through high-power radio waves. https://www.cell.com/cell-systems/pdf/S2405-4712(20)30372-0.pdf https://www.cell.com/cell-systems/pdf/S2405-4712(20)30372-0....
carlmr 5y ago
We have multiple plausible sources: 1) Mass hysteria, if you tell enough people about weird unspecific symptoms, a lot of people might experience it. 2) Chemical agents. Food poisoning, the paint used by government contractors, etc. 3) Biological agents. Maybe side-effects of covid or some other virus/bacterium. 4) Some kind of stress-induced disorder, e.g. PTSD. 5) Some kind of technology with radiation, whether microwave weapon or just an overpowered stingray over a long enough time. To rule these out you'd have to start testing these hypotheses. They say in the article that people could move in and out of the beam, which might speak for #5, but doesn't rule out #1. We could distribute "tin foil hats", or more accurately wire-mesh suits, that block a wide array of microwave radiation, to officials. If they experience the onset of these symptoms they can put these on and see if it brings relief. This still wouldn't rule out #1 due to the placebo effect, but at least it would rule out the other nefarious causes. Now if that does still point in this direction you could start giving targeted people antennae to detect the radiation to rule out #1.

katmannthree 5y ago

That mechanism, by the way, is microwave heating of the brain -- thermal expansion causes cranial pressure to rise, and by carefully modulating the microwaves those pressure signals are interpreted as sound by your inner ear.

Enginerrrd 5y ago
I previously have read that it's more specifically heating and cooling of the inner ear itself.
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  It's the entire head that is being heated, but perhaps the inner ear is the critical spot.
  - R0b0t1 5y ago
    The entire head is being heated, slightly, but it can only cool by dissipating that heat to the environment. This happens slowly enough I do not see it as possible to achieve audible frequencies with such a heating/cooling cycle. The auditory effects have to be generated by RF, possibly frequency phased modulation, interacting with the inner ear.
    - nitrogen 5y ago
      The ear could be acting as a high-pass filter, so you don't need to cool, you just need to vary the rate of heating. Of course, that would mean that the temperature would be rising over time.
DyslexicAtheist 5y ago
It seems the burning skin sensation is used in "Active Denial System" weapons researched and tested by the US (mainly for "crowd control"): https://www.dvidshub.net/video/304622/solid-state-active-denial-technology#.Umk9zsvD-pp https://www.dvidshub.net/video/304622/solid-state-active-den... The Soviets focused on the non-thermal applications of microwave radiation which can cause a variety of symptoms making them plausibly deniable. A 1976 report by the Pentagon reviewed Soviet research: https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FOIA-Reading-Room-Nuclear-Biological-and-Chemical/FileId/39946/ https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FOIA-R... This article from few days ago has a lot more info than the CNN post: https://www.gq.com/story/cia-investigation-and-russian-microwave-attacks https://www.gq.com/story/cia-investigation-and-russian-micro... from the GQ article: > "The report detailed Moscow’s investigation of the effects of microwaves on the nervous system. Soviet, and later Russian, scientists found that exposing an animal’s brain to microwaves changed the frequency at which neurons fired. Neurons also became suddenly out of sync with one another. Some brain cells in mice were found to have withered. Nerves became damaged. The radiation also showed the potential to disturb the sacrosanct blood-brain barrier and, according to the DIA, resulted in “the alterations of brain function.” The most common symptoms reported in humans who had been exposed to microwaves for long periods of time sounded familiar: headache, fatigue, perspiration, dizziness, insomnia, depression, anxiety, forgetfulness, and lack of concentration. > Like Frey, Soviet researchers found that turning the intensity of the beam up or down could produce differing effects in its target. A target’s unique physiology—a slightly different curvature of the skull, for example—also determined how this directed energy would affect them. A weapon that created an ever-changing kaleidoscope of neurological symptoms would have a powerful psychological dimension. If everyone’s symptoms are all slightly different, victims might question whether they’d all been exposed to the same thing—or if they’d been hit at all."
- permo-w 5y ago
  aren’t we constantly being bombarded by microwaves from our phones, laptops, TVs, etc? this worries me
  - nitrogen 5y ago
R0b0t1 5y ago
Unlikely. The symptoms presented in the article may be due to this, but the auditory effect is related to effects on the inner ear and bones.

dr_dshiv 5y ago

Are you familiar with temporal interference stimulation? I wonder if this could be induced through high-power radio waves. https://www.cell.com/cell-systems/pdf/S2405-4712(20)30372-0.pdf https://www.cell.com/cell-systems/pdf/S2405-4712(20)30372-0....

carlmr 5y ago

We have multiple plausible sources: 1) Mass hysteria, if you tell enough people about weird unspecific symptoms, a lot of people might experience it. 2) Chemical agents. Food poisoning, the paint used by government contractors, etc. 3) Biological agents. Maybe side-effects of covid or some other virus/bacterium. 4) Some kind of stress-induced disorder, e.g. PTSD. 5) Some kind of technology with radiation, whether microwave weapon or just an overpowered stingray over a long enough time. To rule these out you'd have to start testing these hypotheses. They say in the article that people could move in and out of the beam, which might speak for #5, but doesn't rule out #1. We could distribute "tin foil hats", or more accurately wire-mesh suits, that block a wide array of microwave radiation, to officials. If they experience the onset of these symptoms they can put these on and see if it brings relief. This still wouldn't rule out #1 due to the placebo effect, but at least it would rule out the other nefarious causes. Now if that does still point in this direction you could start giving targeted people antennae to detect the radiation to rule out #1.