Paranormal Science Lab goes to great lengths to find natural explanations for our evidence before concluding that it is paranormal in nature. We take the approach that anomalies in photographs, recordings, and video are not paranormal in nature, unless we can find no other rational explanation.

We spend hours comparing evidence obtained from one recorder with a recorder in another room, to make sure that an EVP is not actually a team member talking in another room. We also try to recreate our photographic evidence, in an attempt to rule out all natural explanations. While this is a very tedious project, it is a necessary task to undertake in order for Paranormal Science Lab to maintain credibility with each of its members and the community as a whole.

Below are some of the photographs and audio files that we have been able to debunk. You can see how easy it would be to mistake some of these photographs, recordings, and videos as evidence of the paranormal.

• This photo was taken by Eric from one room, across a hall, and into another room on a 15 second exposure. The only light source was infrared lights from our cameras, and upon seeing the image on the camera screen, we immediately set about trying to debunk it. If you look at the circled area on the picture at the left, it looks like a woman standing in the doorway staring at the camera. After taking several pictures afterward, we were able to determine that the shape of the woman is actually a dresser in the room across the hall - the woman's head and hair is actually the top of the round mirror, and her body is the shadowed area of the dresser facing the camera. The front of the dresser isn't immediately noticeable due to being bathed by IR light.
  


• Do you see what looks like a face at the top of the photograph, circled in red? It appears that there are eyes, nose, mouth, and the outline of the head. This is actually just the way that the wallpaper and a piece of plastic look when photographed. PSL typically schedules a follow-up investigation to debunk any positive photographs, or at the very least, tries to visit the site again before the reveal in an attempt to recreate the anomaly located in the picture. This was a situation where a follow-up visit paid dividends, as we were able to recreate this photograph perfectly on our second visit to this location.
  


• This photo was taken by Brian, and this is another situation where a re-visit to a location to debunk evidence pays off. Do you see what looks like a girl or woman’s face in the circled part of the photograph in the mirror? Many people see a very thin face, with hair on both sides. This is actually a flashlight shining on clothes that were in a wardrobe on the other side of the room. The outlines for the face, or the dark spots, are actually where the clothes are creased.
  


• This picture depicts a foggy substance in the upper left hand corner. An active imagination can lead people to see shapes, figures, or faces in the fog. This is because people have tendencies to see things that are familiar to them in unknown objects, which is commonly called matrixing. This is actually a picture of the photographer’s breath.
  


• Notice the light anomaly in the upper center of the photograph that is circled in red? Some groups and individuals believe this is “spirit photography,” or a photograph of a spirit. In this picture, it is car headlights reflecting off the wall. Any light that is moving, or that is steady when the camera is moving, can cause these types of anomalies.
  


• Orbs are very common in photographs, especially when taken with digital cameras. Some people believe that orbs are actually ghosts. Paranormal Science Lab does not share this belief. Orbs are usually particles of dust, pollen, dirt, or other natural objects that are always present in the environment. Shortly before taking this particular photograph, the group’s founder wiped the dust from the blades of his ceiling fan. This photograph depicts the dust from the ceiling fan.
  


• This particular “orb” is actually a drop of rain. If you look closely at the asphalt around the tires of the car, you can see where it is wet. There are smaller orbs in the photograph, which are also rain drops. Just in case you’re wondering, the green item hanging from the corner of the porch is an extension cord.
  


• The bright orb in the middle of the doorway that is circled in red is a little more difficult to explain. It is too bright to be dust, and obviously is not moisture, since the photograph was taken indoors. Is it paranormal? No. The photograph depicts the reflector on the toe of an investigator’s tennis shoe. The investigator was standing out of the frame of the camera, but the end of his toe was out far enough for the flash to reflect off the reflector.
  


• This picture was taken intentionally by Eric and Matt to show how even a brief movement during a long exposure can create movement and ghostly images. This was taken in a 3 second exposure, and if you look inside the circled red area, you can see a faint ghostly face peeking out from behind the tree (you can place your mouse over the image to enlarge it).


• This light streak appeared while trying to debunk the above picture of the girl in the hallway. During another long (15 second) exposure, Eric moved the camera a moment before it was done taking the picture. When he picked it up, he accidentally moved it so that the light from a voice recorder came into frame, causing the red light to appear to be streaking in from the other room. If not aware of what they're doing, investigators could possibly find "evidence" that can be easily debunked, but that taken together may seem entirely too coincidental to be false - some may conclude that, since the light coming through this picture begins where the little girl was standing, it is her spirit or energy. Clearly, this isn't the case.