Very few tools of the ghost-hunter's trade were made expressly for sensing the presence of spirits. As with gauss meters and thermographic cameras, the vast majority of gadgets that are currently used in the paranormal field were developed for much more mundane work. One of the biggest reasons for this is the experimental nature of paranormal work. In addition, although most ghost-hunters agree that spirits are comprised of energy, no one has yet hit upon a specific frequency where they show up the best.

This situation presents an amazing opportunity for the inventive ghost-hunter. New technology is being produced every year by individuals with backgrounds in electronics or other sciences. But why break with tradition by completely reinventing the wheel? There are a vast number of ready-made sensing devices that, like the standard EMF reader, are already being used to pick up fluctuations in heat, light, pressure, and other atmospheric variables. It simply remains for someone to apply them to the field of paranormal research in order to see if spirits and other phenomenon can influence these fine-tuned instruments as well.

Did the 1954 nuclear tests on Bikini Atoll attract the attention of extraterrestrials and possibly lead one of their crafts to crash in England? This intriguing video posits a connection between investigative journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, the quest for eternal youth, and the death of actress Marilyn Monroe.

Our latest reader submission comes from PS.

My sister lives out in New Orleans, she's been out there for many years, and if you know New Orleans it's the Witch Craft, voodoo, hoodoo capital of the world. I went out in 1998 to visit her as I hadn't seen her for many years. I booked a flight out with a friend, we get to New Orleans and it was breathtaking. My sister picked us up at the port and drove to a place in Slidell; they live on the island, now taken out by Hurricane Katrina. We pulled up to a bar called Cap'n Ryans, which my new brother-in-law proudly owns. It was a nice little bar, and upstairs was their living quarters, a big four-bedroom suite.

The first night was strange sleeping in a strange place you are awake at every little noise. And there was a lot of noise, first the scraping on the ceiling like something was being dragged. It was soft at first [so] I tried to ignore it, but it kept getting louder, so I got out of bed and flicked in the light. The noise stopped. I looked at the ceiling — nothing. I thought maybe there were mice in the attic.

Turned off the light crawled back into bed, not two minutes later there was scratching at the door. I got out of bed again opened the door to see if my sister's dog wanted in — there was nothing there. OK now I'm up and alert. I went into the living room to check things out: nothing. Went to the bedrooms; everyone was sleeping. The dog was on the deck, sleeping. I got a drink of water and went back to bed; it was about 2:00 am or so.

Some ghosts want to do more than say "boo!" — they want to cuddle up in bed for a little extra curricular activity. No body? No problem! You can't see them, but you can certainly feel them — and it's not your imagination. Yes, it sounds improbable, even impossible. But spectral sex has been documented for centuries.

Understandably, people are often reluctant to talk about such experiences. It's hard enough to admit seeing a ghost, let alone having an encounter with a randy one.

What happens in a sex-with-a-ghost encounter? Perhaps you stay in a haunted place, go to sleep, and then wake up with a jolt when an invisible weight comes down on the bed. You have a distinct impression that a person is there — someone you may or may not see. Perhaps you realize that the presence is a ghost.

Case File: 2007.11.41F
Code Name: "THE SENSITIVE"

DIRECTOR'S LOGS
These logs have been condensed and edited, but to the best of our ability, they remain an accurate account of the case.

MY ORIGINAL THEORIES ON POSSESSION
At the beginning of the episode I was entertaining the idea of spirit/demonic possession. This is because, on paper, it looked very much like a classic case with demonic properties. Janice, the mother, felt that Liana had some direct connection with the paranormal phenomena. Then, according to Janice, there were repeated sightings of a black mist that, at one point, actually approached and pressed down on a family member. The phenomenon got so intense that it got to a point where Liana was very emotional about it. Liana claims to have seen the black mist quite a few times and has communicated with something in the house. As discussed on the show, there were some moments of depression and angst that Liana fell in to. The family described her at times of "not being herself." There was additional information that, unfortunately, was not featured on the show.

For the most part, I wasn't sold on the demonic theory. This is why it is discarded rather quickly on the investigation. However, as an investigator, I believe that it needed to at least be looked in to.

If you're a fan of electronic voice phenomena (recording noises in a haunted place and scanning the recordings for sounds made by ghosts or other spirits), you may be interested in joining the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomenon.

Sarah Estep founded the AA-EVP in 1982 after she began to pick up voices on her husband's reel-to-reel tape recorder. Before her death in January of this year, she recorded over 20,000 voices of ghosts and aliens. The AA-EVP was founded on the survival hypothesis, which states that humans exist as nonphysical entities before and after their lives on Earth. Electronic voice phenomenon happens when these nonphysical entities attempt to communicate with the living.

The members of the AA-EVP study electronic voice phenomena as well as what they call Instrumental TransCommunication, or the ways in which electronic voice phenomena can be recorded through technology. The AA-EVP also publishes a quarterly journal and a directory of its 500 members. They do research about new technology available for listening to electronic voice phenomenon, and use electronic voice phenomenon to provide help to the grieving.

Case File: 2007.11.41F
Code Name: "THE SENSITIVE"

SUMMARY OF PHENOMENA
Mother Janice is frightened for her teenage daughter, Liana. They've seen black mists, heard unusual sounds and have experienced movement of objects and doors slamming in front of their eyes. Additionally, Liana is extremely emotional and depressed. They've tried doctors and counselors and they can't find anything wrong. Is there something paranormal at work?

NOTES FOR THE DISPATCHED FIELD RESEARCH TEAM
There seems to be a lot of emotional problems with Liana, according to the mother. We need to consider mental and physical explanations as well. If it is paranormal, my concern is that we may be dealing with a classic case of spirit oppression or possession. The unexplainable depression and mood swings, the black mists, the poltergeist-like activity are all classic signs. However, paranormal activity aside, the emotional problems Liana is demonstrating could very well be attributed to adolescence or something else. It doesn't explain away the paranormal activity, however. So, is it something other than spirit possession?

We will need to find a local psychologist in their area to participate. We'll also bring in counselor Jamie.

There is a quarter-mile stretch of Interstate 4 in central Florida between Daytona Beach and Orlando that is known as the "The I-4 Dead Zone." How does a highway get a nickname like this? It's haunted, of course.

Interstate 4 is one of the most traveled roads in Florida. While mediums have claimed that a family of four fraught with bitterness is buried at the site, the nearly 2,000 accidents that have occurred along this small stretch of roadway since the mid-1960s certainly enhances the possibility of a curse — or just a poorly constructed section of the road? There are far more accidents per year on this stretch of highway than all of I-4 between Daytona and Tampa. Regardless, people have been claiming to see strange things at this very spot on I-4 for several decades — everything from orbs cruising over the road, to hitchhiking ghosts and phantom trucks.

One in every 10 Catholics in the United States has either witnessed or been part of an exorcism. It's not just an American trend — exorcisms are experiencing a revival the world over, particularly in Catholic traditions. A priest in Queensland, Australia disclosed the he currently performs an exorcism at least once every two weeks. The number of trained exorcists has doubled over the past five years in Poland. In Italy, around 400 Catholic exorcisms have taken place over the past two decades, and that's not even counting the people requesting church assistance who did not receive help. According to Father James LeBar, exorcist for the Archdiocese of New York, "Ten years ago I had no cases and now I have three hundred." As recently as last December, Pope Benedict XVI organized "exorcist squads" to tackle the rise of Satanism and demonic possession. The rise of demonic possession has apparently soared over the past 20 years and even more so in recent years. What's behind this dramatic rise in the number of performed exorcisms?

According to Father Thomas Williams, Dean of Theology at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome, "There may be two reasons. One is that there's an increased interest in the occult, even in Satanism. Where I live in Italy, Satanic worship is actually on the rise. And this is true for a lot of places in Europe. And the second reason I think is because people are less careful. Honestly, they maybe pray less. They play around with things they shouldn't play with, and then they get into trouble... Anyone can be possessed, but I think you really have to open yourself up to it. You have to be un-careful. And I think the spiritual demons, or bad angels, do exist, and I think it's an extreme thing, but it happens sometimes." Williams also admits that "...many things that in the past that were considered demonic possession or demonic influence were really just diseases or psychological problems." Some of these include Tourette Syndrome, schizophrenia and epilepsy.

The phoenix is a sign of immortality, grace and beauty. This mythical creature is a bird with colorful plumage that decides its own death, building itself a nest in which the bird burns and turns to ash. Legends vary, but usually the phoenix lives for 1,000 years before building its own funeral pyre. From the remnants of the fire, a new, young phoenix emerges that will live for another 1,000 years.

The phoenix is an enduring figure from a wide variety of mythological traditions.
In ancient Egypt, the phoenix was known as a benu, associated with the rising sun and the sun god Ra. The Greeks and Romans adapted the bird, creating a new image of a peacock-like animal with a song that made the sun god Apollo stop his daily carriage of the sun. In Persian mythology, the phoenix also makes an appearance, and in Lebanese culture the phoenix is a representation of the city of Beirut, destroyed and rebuilt seven times. In Christian theology, the phoenix represents Christ's resurrection and immortality in art and literature. The phoenix is also central to Chinese and Japanese mythology.

Wicca has been one of the fastest growing religions for decades. Born in England after World War II, it has spread around the globe. One of the key figures who helped to launch this religion is Raymond Buckland, often called "the Father of American Witchcraft."

Buckland, an Englishman, was the first major Witch to import Wicca to American shores. With Gypsy blood and a background in Spiritualism and esotericism, it was no surprise that he was drawn to the new Witchcraft — also called Wicca — that was revealed in England the 1950s by Goddess and the Horned God, the masculine aspect of deity (not the Devil), and embraced magical arts.

The new Witchcraft became the rage, and it popularity continued even after the ideas of Witchcraft as a "Old Religion" were laid to rest.

It's pretty obvious why a paranormal investigator might consider setting up motion detectors in an allegedly haunted location. People have witnessed apparitions walk through walls, vanish into thin air, and move from one level to another in a matter of seconds. It's a pretty accepted notion among paranormal enthusiasts that spirits are capable of moving from one place to another pretty quickly and most of the time, unseen. Since it's not possible for a living human being to be everywhere at once, the use of motion detectors makes it easier for the investigator to know if movement has occurred in various sections of a given location. In fact, the Paranormal Research Society uses motion detectors extensively.

While motion detectors, like most paranormal equipment, cannot recognize and prove the existence of paranormal activity, they do offer benefits to the investigator. Infrared radiation detectors watch for movement that generates heat. The greatest benefit is that movements can be monitored in many parts of a location simultaneously.

Some of the things that motion detectors might pick up are the movement of objects by seen or unseen forces, moving shadows, animals, people. It's easy to see why motion detectors are especially helpful in larger locations. Some investigators also experience paranormal activity where motion detectors are in use and the detectors do not catch anything. This is especially interesting when investigators witness movements of shadows or figures with their own eyes in the vicinity of a motion detector. Therefore, the use of this type of equipment for catching spirits and not catching them in conjunction with personal experiences can be equally important for evidence gathering.

Motion detectors start around $15 and go up from there in price. There are all kinds of detectors: pet-immune, microwave and infrared, sunlight-immune and more. They can be purchased for mounting on walls or ceilings or for standing alone. Many announce motion simply by chiming or sounding an alarm. Some include video or digital cameras so that the movement being registered could potentially get caught on film or in a photograph.

During the summer of 2001, something strange was repeatedly witnessed in the skies of Southern Pennsylvania that was likened to a centuries-old legend concerning a very big bird. What's so strange about a large bird, you ask? The alleged "Thunderbird," with a wingspan described anywhere between 12 to 20 feet, would be the largest predatory bird yet undiscovered if its existence can be proven. The largest identified birds are the Andean condor and the California condor, both possessing wingspans of around 10 feet, and the wandering albatross with a wingspan of 12 feet.

In 2001, a large bird was witnessed flying over cars and trucks on Route 119 in South Greensburg, PA. The witness saw the bird for about a minute and a half and even watched it land on a branch, which nearly broke underneath the weight of the creature. The site was searched after the report was received and no evidence could be found. More sightings followed in the same area during the same summer. A homeowner in Greenville was in her yard when she saw the enormous bird flying in the area for 20 minutes. Her neighbor described the creature as "the biggest bird I ever saw." A witness in Eerie County experienced similar sightings a month later.

Earth or ET? Nearly 50 years after its discovery in Mexico, the origin of a strange skull is on the verge of discovery. Eight years of scientific testing — culminating in DNA tests — may soon support the belief of some researchers that the skull belongs to no human being, but perhaps to a human-ET hybrid.

That's the hope of Lloyd Pye, the investigative writer and researcher who has taken the skull on its international odyssey of testing. DNA results are expected in 2009 or 2010.

The Starchild Skull, as it is known, was discovered in 1930 in Copper Canyon, a high desert region in northern Mexico, by a teenaged American girl who went exploring in abandoned mine shafts. She reportedly found a human skeleton lying on a shaft floor, and a misshapen hand sticking out from the dirt alongside it. She dug with her hands and found a smaller, misshapen skeleton.

We recently checked in with Georgia, the woman whose home was investigated in the "Paranormal State" episode "Shapeshifter."

Georgia and her daughter Katie reported feeling the presence of an angry spirit watching them on their Maine property at night. More recently, Katie had been attacked by a spirit described as half-animal, half-human. The PRS team was called in to investigate.

"We appreciated them coming out," Georgia said. "When [the PRS] was here, the energy was very low. When they left, it felt like it's decreased, but not gone." However, Georgia felt very empowered by the procedure of verbally ordering the spirit out of her home, as shown in the episode, and is no longer afraid of the spirit. The blessing ceremony the team performed on the property also helped.

The Haunt Masters Club is a research and investigation team based in the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee and Virginia, an area filled with reports of paranormal phenomena. The team prides itself on comprehensive research and a caring perspective, focusing on helping those who request assistance, providing the best answers possible.

The investigative team and support staff offer years of experience in paranormal study, but also a deep interest and expertise in regional history and folklore. The group defies a practice they see with other paranormal investigative groups, that of merely accumulating numbers of investigations and charging fees. Instead, they acknowledge the frightening and delicate situation many people find themselves in with unexplained phenomena. Their goal is to investigate (for free), but also enlighten and comfort. To that end, on their website they offer extensive online resources, reports of investigations, evidence of mistakes/hoaxes, and more.

Case File: 2007.11.42F
Code Name: "KNICKERBOCKER"

SUMMARY OF PHENOMENA
Peg Knickerbocker and her husband own the Knickerbocker Hotel, a 100-year-old building set in a small town in Northwestern Pennsylvania. They have spent a lot of money renovating the place, hoping to build a place where people can enjoy happy moments such as weddings, anniversaries, etc.

Then comes the haunting. Family members are frightened to stay on location. Some, they claim, have been pushed down steps. Others have been scared by some unexplained force watching them or calling out. The worst, however, came after a dinner party. Suddenly bad things happened to many of the individuals who attended this dinner party. Peg is worried that there is something negative in the hotel.

NOTES FOR THE DISPATCHED FIELD RESEARCH TEAM
We've been investigating cases for some time now. I think we all share an uneasiness about the fact that Peg has invited numerous psychics in to her hotel to conduct séances and other spiritual devices. Even though we have become more skeptical of paranormal claims, we must give Peg an open an objective investigation.

• Is there a connection with the supernatural activity and the dinner party?

• If there is something supernatural going on, is there a dark force? If so, what is it?

NOTE
I won't be providing a postmortem for this episode. I'd prefer the episode to stand on its own.

A lot of things in New Orleans are haunted, and the Hotel Maison de Ville is no exception. The Maison de Ville was built in 1800 as a two-story house before it was converted into a hotel. An early resident, apothecary Antoine Amedee Peychaud, is credited with inventing the very first cocktail. Another famous resident was Tennessee Williams, who wrote A Streetcar Named Desire while living at the hotel.

Cottage number four of the Maison de Ville is thought to be haunted. An employee of the hotel once led a guest into the room and saw the ghost of a soldier standing in the corner. She looked again and the ghost was gone, but whenever she leaves classical music playing in the room, she returns to find the volume turned up and the station changed to country music. Guests have also reported seeing wet footprints and mysterious figures dressed in vintage clothing.

A Marathon is a 26 mile long race that has been an integral part of the Olympic games since the 1896 games in Athens. But the race is also a part of both history and myth. In 490 BCE, a messenger was sent from the field of Marathon to Athens in order to report the Greek victory over the invading Persians. The messenger is said to have been a professional long-distance runner named Philippides who supposedly dropped dead in a typically heroic fashion immediately after completing his grueling run and, of course, delivering his important message. The news about the victory was of great importance to the city-state of Athens, and the historic Battle of Marathon was a key victory in the establishment of early Greek power.

In addition to its connection with long-distance running and Olympic games, the Battle of Marathon is one of the earliest recorded battles in history. The field saw an intense conflict unfold between the warriors of Athens and the invading force of Persia. Much like the American field of Gettysburg, the strength and intensity of the battle at Marathon may well have imprinted itself upon the surrounding countryside. Certainly, there are a number of historic reports that describe ghostly soldiers appearing at Marathon to relive the decisive battle. There are many reports about ghostly encounters in Greek and Roman literature, but the story of the Field of Marathon remains one of the most compelling.