Maybe they should have seen this one coming?
Researchers have debunked a widely reported 2011 study that suggested scientific evidence supports the idea that the powers of the human mind include the potential for precognition -- the ability to predict future events using psychic powers.
The new study, published in the journal Public Library of Science One, said attempts to reproduce the previous psychic research results were unsuccessful.
The earlier study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology by Daryl Bem, strongly encouraged other researchers to replicate the results in support of precognition.
But when University of Edinburgh researchers tried to do just that, they found no evidence to support Bem’s work and concluded there is no reason to believe in the existence of psychic ability.
“When scientists find very surprising results that seem to contradict everything we know about how the world works, it's always a good idea to wait and see if other independent researchers can find the same effects,” said Stuart Ritchie, the Edinburgh researcher who led the new study. “In this case, we couldn't."