Belief in ghosts and hauntings are universal. The question of how to scientifically investigate ghosts is both fascinating and complex; for a complete account see Investigating Ghosts: The Scientific Search for Spirits. Radford has investigated dozens of cases over the years. Here are some selected highlights.
Select investigations
Are Ghosts Real
If you believe in ghosts, you’re not alone. Cultures all around the world believe in spirits that survive death to live in another realm. In fact, ghosts are among the most widely believed of paranormal phenomenon: Millions of people are interested in ghosts, and thousands read ghost stories on Reddit every day.
Read at Live Science
Establishing the Strange — Why Can’t Ghost Hunters Get Results?
A few years ago, I got a query from a friend (“K”), who asked my advice on investigating mysterious marks on a wall. Her friend, “M,” had some strange paranormal things happening to her, and others had witnessed it.
Read at AIPT
Kansas Gym Ghost Mystery Solved
When it’s Halloween season, and you know what that means: ghosts! A surveillance video from 2008 depicting what many believe to be a ghost made international news.
Read at Live Science
An Interview With Author Benjamin Radford
An interview about his book Investigating Ghosts, an in-depth look at scientific attempts to contact the dead, from historical, cultural, and folkloric perspectives. From Shakespeare to the Victorian era to modern-day ghost hunting, people have always tried to find ghosts, and this is a look at their methods and how to bring science to them.
Taxi Drivers Claim Ghost Passengers in Japan
Almost everyone working in the public service industry for any length of time has at least a few stories about strange customers.
Read at Seeker
Mysterious ‘Ghost Lights in Forest Draw Thrill Seekers
Ghost hunters and mystery buffs in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula often seek out a lonely road at a remote spot in the woods near the Wisconsin border hoping to see a mystery known as the Paulding Light.
Read at Seeker
Victim’s Ghost Seen in Accident Photo? Unlikely
A photo taken at the scene of a fatal motorcycle crash in Kentucky went viral in 2016, with many claiming they can see the accident victim’s spirit leaving his body.
Read at Seeker
Other investigations
- Andleberry Estates / Wolfe Manor Haunting
Clovis, California, TV Show- MysteryQuest: “The Real Amityville Horror”, 2010 - Bell Witch Mystery
Adams, Tennessee, 2011 - Demonic Ghost House
Lackawanna, New York, 2003 - Devil’s Hole Cursed Cave
Niagara Falls, Canada, 1999 - Djinn Reports
Cairo, Egypt, 1998 - Djinn reports
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2007 - Djinn reports
Marrakech, Morocco, 2007, 2018 - Ghost Detecting Equipment
London, England, 2006 - Ghost investigation
Genesee Country Village, Mumford, New York, 2003 - Ghost Tours
Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2008 - Ghost-Haunted Factory Toilet
Gazipur, Bangladesh, 2013
- Haunted Bar
Cuchillo, New Mexico, 2009, TV- KRQE News - Haunted Castle
Casa Loma, Toronto, Canada, 2005 - Haunted Ft. George Ghost Investigation
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, TV Pilot: “Sightings”, 2004 - Haunted Ft. George Ghost Investigation
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, 2010 - Haunted Warehouse
Carson, California, TV Show- MysteryQuest: “The Real Amityville Horror”, 2010 - KiMo Theater Ghost
Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2008 - La Llorona: Wailing Witches Haunting the Ditches
Corrales and Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2009, 2012 - Mystery of the Moving Mummy
Manchester, England, 2013 - Popobawa Bat-demon Djinn
Zanzibar Island, Tanzania, 2007 - Santa Fe Courthouse Ghost
Santa Fe, New Mexico, CNN, Associated Press, Weekly Alibi, 2007 - The Haunted La Posada Hotel
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2011 - White Witch of Rose Hall
Montego Bay, Jamaica, 2005