When the infamous fictional character, Carrie White, left her high school prom hall ablaze, and brought terror upon her town,
当恶名昭彰的虚构人物--魔女嘉莉，离开了已陷入火海的高中舞会大厅，使整个小镇居民陷入极端恐慌，
she relied on her powers of telekinesis, the ability to manipulate physical objects using the power of the mind alone.
他依靠的是以心灵遥感的念力，即以心灵力量操纵物体的能力。
But while Carrie is just a fictional film based upon a fictional book, belief in telekinesis isn't fictional at all.
但是，尽管魔女嘉莉只是源自于史蒂芬·金所著的恐怖小说所改编而来的电影中，对心灵遥感的信仰可是一点也不虚幻。
For centuries, humans have claimed they really do have the power to control the motion of objects using only their minds.
几个世纪以来，一直有人声称自己具有心灵遥感能力，能利用只意念的力量控制物体的移动。
Levitation, opening doors at will and spoon bending are all intriguing examples.
用意念将人悬浮在空中、开门或拗弯汤匙等等，都是耐人寻味的例子。
It happens in the Matrix when Neo freezes bullets midair, and it's a skill that Yoda has honed to a T.
像是电影《黑客帝国》中，救世主尼欧让子弹停留在空中，这也是《星球大战》里尤达大师的绝学。
But is telekinesis real, or just as fictional as Carrie, Yoda and Neo combined?
到底心灵遥感是真实的，或只是像嘉莉、尤达与尼欧一样，都是虚构的呢？
To investigate, we need to evaluate telekinetic claims through a scientific lens using the scientific method.
为了调查真相，我们需要透过科学的眼光，以科学方法检验心灵遥感的说法。
Telekinesis is part of the discipline called parapsychology, in which researchers study psychic phenomena.
心灵遥感是所谓的超心理学的一支，超心理学研究心灵现象。
Parapsychologists regard what they do as a science, but other scientists disagree.
超心理学家自认研究的是科学，但其他科学家并不认同。
Let's start with a few basic observations.
让我们先从一些基本观察开始。
Observation #1: While there are loads of anecdotes out there about telekinesis, there's no scientific proof that it exists;
观察结果1：虽然一直有心灵遥感的轶事传出，但都没有经过科学证实；
no studies conducted according to the scientific method and repeated under lab conditions can show that its real.
没有严谨的科学研究，例如在实验室控制条件下重复，以证明其真实性。
In the 1930s, the so-called father of parapsychology, Joseph Banks Rhine,
在20世纪30年代，所谓的超心理学之父--约瑟夫·班克斯·莱茵，
tested in the lab whether people could use telekinesis to make a dice roll the way they wanted it to.
在实验室中测试人们是否能利用意念控制骰子的滚动。
But afterwards, scientists couldn't replicate his results,
但后来，科学家们无法重复他的实验结论，
and since replication is key to proving an idea, that was a problem.
而因为“可以重复实验”是验证一个论点的关键，这样一来就大有问题了。
Aside from scientists, there are also countless self-proclaimed telekinetics,
除了科学家，还有无数自称可心灵遥感的人，
but all have been exposed as tricksters, or can't perform under conditions where they're not totally in control,
不是被证实为骗徒，就是无法在他们没有控制权下进行表演，
suggesting that they manipulate the situation to get the results they want.
这些情况表明他们是在操纵周边的环境来得到自己想要的结果。
Today, there's even a huge stash of prize money available from lots of organizations
如今，世界上甚至还有许多组织设置的许多不公开的奖项，
for anyone who can prove that psychic abilities, like telekinesis, are real. But these riches remain unclaimed.
用来奖励可以证实超自然能力的人，比如可以证明心灵遥感是真的的人。但是这些奖项一直没有被授予。
Observation #2: When we investigate telekinesis, there's no consensus about what exactly is being measured.
观察结果2：当我们调查心灵遥感的时候，我们没有一致的测量对象。

Are powerful, Yoda-like brainwaves at work perhaps?
我们要测量的是尤达一样强有力的脑电波么？
Since nobody agrees, it's difficult to apply a research standard,
由于大家都没有达成一致，很难确定出一个一致的调查标准，
something required in all other types of science to test the validity of ideas.
而一致实验标准却是所有类型的科学实验所要求的，没有它就无法测试理论的有效性。
Observation #3: The point of science is to discover the unknown, and in the history of scientific investigation,
观察结果3：科学的意义在于发现未知，在科学调查的历史中，
it's definitely happened that new discoveries have gone against established science,
新的发现与已经建立起来的体系相违背的现象并不罕见，
and even overturned whole branches of science.
甚至有时一个新的发现会改变科学之中一整个分支的方向。
Such discoveries must be proven extra carefully to withstand skepticism.
这种与之前体系相违背的发现必须被带着审慎得态度来进行谨慎的验证。
In the case of telekinesis, the idea goes against established science, but lacks the powerful evidence in favor of it.
在心灵遥感的例子里，这种理论虽然与之前建立起的科学体系相违背，却又缺乏强有力的证据来支持它。
Our universe is controlled and explained by the laws of physics,
我们的宇宙被物理学定律所诠释和支配，
and one of these laws tells us that brain waves can't control objects
然而其中一条定律告诉我们脑电波无法控制物体，
because they're neither strong nor far-reaching enough to influence anything outside of our skulls.
因为它们既不强烈又没有那么广的控制范围，因此无法影响我们头骨意外的东西。
Physics also tells us that the only forces that can influence objects from afar are magnetic and gravitational.
物理学也告诉我们唯一能够在远距离情况下影响物体的具有磁力或者具有引力的物体。
Probably the closest thing to telekinesis that science can explain is the use of thoughts to control a robotic arm.
科学能解释的，与心灵遥感最相近的现象，可能就是用思想来控制机器手臂的实验了。
In the brains of stroke patients who can't move,
脑中风患者无法移动身体，
researchers can implant tiny wires into the region that controls movement,
研究者可以将一些细线埋植入大脑中控制运动的区域，
and then train the patient to concentrate on moving a robotic arm,
然后训练这些患者使他们集中精力来移动机械手臂，
which acts like an extension of their minds, and it works.
使得机械手臂仿佛他们思想的实质化，而且实验取得了成功。
It's amazing, but it isn't telekinesis.
这个实验令人震惊，但它终究不是心灵遥感。
The patients thoughts aren't just vague, undetectable things.
患者的思想并不模糊，也不是无法侦测的。
They're measurable brain signals, translated through wires into a robot.
它们是可以测量的脑信号，它们被翻译，通过细线传入进入机械手臂。
Science can measure, test and explain the motion, and that's how we've shown that this kind of mind control is real.
科学可以被测量，被检验，然后解释其这种现象，这就是我们如何证实这种思想控制外物的真实性。
Science is a slow process of accumulating the evidence that either stands for or against an idea.
科学是一个慢慢积累的过程，慢慢积累一些或支持或反对某一现象的证据。
When we stack up evidence, we can see which tower grows tallest,
当我们把这些证据堆叠在一起，我们就能看出哪一座塔更高，
and in the case of telekinesis, it's not the tower showing that it exists.
而在心灵遥感的例子中，证明它成立的证据之塔并不是最高的。
Some say this mystical phenomenon can't fit within the confines of science, and that's okay.
一些人可能会说这种神秘的现象只是无法在现有的科学理论中被证明，那好吧。
But then telekinesis becomes purely a matter of personal conviction.
但是这样的话心灵遥感就变成了纯粹的个人观点。
If something can't be assessed scientifically, then it can't be described as scientific either.
如果事物无法向科学靠拢，那它也就不能被称为“科学的”。
So the results of our investigation reveal that however much we may want to believe that the force really is within us,
所以，我们调查的结果揭示了无论我们多么想要相信我们真的拥有这种力量，
the case for telekinesis remains weak.
但是心灵遥感的理论依旧禁不起考量。
Sorry Neo, Carrie and Yoda. Your skills are mind-blowing, but for now, they belong in the movies.
对不起啦尼欧，嘉莉和尤达，你们的能力虽然令人印象深刻，但是现在，它们只存在于电影中。