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	<title>dreams &#8211; Kathryn Hulick</title>
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	<description>author of books and articles for kids and teens</description>
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		<title>Top 7 Spooky Science Facts for Halloween</title>
		<link>https://kathrynhulick.com/top-7-spooky-science-facts-for-halloween/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=top-7-spooky-science-facts-for-halloween</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathryn]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2020 18:35:56 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Science Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ghosts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Halloween]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hallucination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kraken]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[memory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monsters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paranormal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pareidolia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[voodoo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[zombies]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kathrynhulick.com/?p=1505</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Halloween is almost here! Are you curious about ghosts, zombies, and other scary monsters? When I was working on my book, Strange But True: 10 of the world&#8217;s greatest mysteries explained, I learned all sorts of fascinating and creepy facts. Here are seven of my favorites. Want more? Buy the book or get it from [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>Halloween is almost here! Are you curious about ghosts, zombies, and other scary monsters? When I was working on my book,<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strange-but-True-mysteries-explained/dp/178603784X/"><strong>Strange But True: 10 of the world&#8217;s greatest mysteries explained</strong></a>, I learned all sorts of fascinating and creepy facts. Here are seven of my favorites. </p>



<p>Want more? Buy the book or get it from your local library:</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781786037855/Strange-but-True-10-of-the-world-s-greatest-mysteries-explained.html">Strange but True: 10 of the world’s greatest mysteries explained</a></h4>



<p>Order from<strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strange-but-True-mysteries-explained/dp/178603784X">Amazon</a></strong>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130783906"><strong>Barnes and Noble</strong></a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781786037848"><strong>Indiebound</strong></a></p>



<p><em>Illustrations by Gordy Wright</em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1.  Salt frees zombies</h2>



<p>The zombie monster has its roots in the Haitian voodoo religion. In this tradition, a &#8220;zonbi&#8221; is a person who has died and been returned to life &#8212; but without part of his or her spirit. A voodoo sorceror, called a bokor, keeps the spirit captive and controls that person. But if the zonbi tastes salt, he or she is freed. So if you&#8217;re worried about zombies, keep some salt handy. </p>



<p>Note: the<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/how-america-erased-the-tragic-history-of-the-zombie/412264/"><strong>history of the zombie/zonbi </strong></a>is closely tied to the history of slavery in Haiti. I strongly encourage learning more about this troubling history. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Everyone hallucinates</h2>



<p>Hallucination is way more common than most people realize. You don&#8217;t have to have mental health issues or use illegal substances to see, hear, or feel things that aren&#8217;t actually there. This happens every night when you dream, and dream states can easily leak into your waking life, especially when you&#8217;re just waking up or falling asleep, or very tired, or very stressed.  </p>



<p><a href="https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/science-ghosts"><strong>Sleep paralysis is a special type of hallucination</strong></a>. It may occur just as you falls asleep or wake up &#8212; basically you wake up while still dreaming. You see and hear your real surroundings, while also seeing or hearing imaginary things. Meanwhile, your body can&#8217;t move and you can&#8217;t breathe deeply, because your body still thinks it&#8217;s dreaming. Sleep paralysis has been the real cause of many ghost, alien, demon, and other monster encounters throughout history.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. The kraken really exists</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft is-resized"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="http://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_2808-845x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1523" width="211" height="256" srcset="https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_2808-845x1024.jpg 845w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_2808-247x300.jpg 247w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_2808-768x931.jpg 768w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_2808-1800x2182.jpg 1800w" sizes="(max-width: 211px) 100vw, 211px" /></figure></div>



<p>It&#8217;s the giant squid. No, it&#8217;s not the size of an entire island (like the kraken of myth). But the real beast is way weirder than any story. It can grow as long as a four-story building is tall. It has three hearts, blue blood, color-changing skin, and tentacles lined with hundreds of suction cups, each lined with serrated teeth. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4.  You can&#8217;t trust your memory </h2>



<p>People who claim to have seen or experienced ghosts, aliens, bigfoot or other monsters usually aren&#8217;t lying. But that doesn&#8217;t mean any of these things really exist. See spooky fact #2 for one explanation. But there&#8217;s another culprit to consider. No matter what creepy thing a person experienced in the moment, their memory of the event probably isn&#8217;t what actually happened.</p>



<p>I explain this in my book: &#8220;Many people think that memory is like a video recording of an event. But unlike a video, a memory does not remain the same every time you think about it. Every time you remember something, the brain rebuilds the memory, often with new details.  If someone suggests that something happened to you, even if it didn’t, you may begin to remember it happening.&#8221; </p>



<p><a href="https://www.apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/memory-manipulated"><strong>See the work of psychologist Elizabeth Loftus to learn more about how memory can be manipulated</strong></a>. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Mummy unwrapping parties actually happened</h2>



<p>In the 19th century, Victorian high society was obsessed with ancient Egypt. Some people even held gatherings where they <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/victorian-party-people-unrolled-mummies-for-fun"><strong>removed the wrappings from a real mummy in front of guests</strong></a>. Eventually, the idea that the relics (and remains) ofancient cultures should be preserved (and respected) put an end to this disturbing pastime. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">6. You&#8217;ve experienced pareidolia</h2>



<p>Paredolia (pair-eh-DOLE-ee-a) may sound like paranoia, but it&#8217;s not nearly as terrible. It&#8217;s the tendency to see or hear recognizable patterns in randomness. Examples include seeing faces or figures in the clouds, mistaking an odd-shaped shadow for a scary beast, or hearing words in static or random noise. Why does this happen? Because it&#8217;s super important for your brain to recognize faces, figures, and words. So sometimes it finds them when they&#8217;re not actually there. That mistake is usually better than missing them when they are there!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">7. You can haunt a house</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="http://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_6486-851x1024.jpeg" alt="Haunted house" class="wp-image-1520" width="213" height="256" srcset="https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_6486-851x1024.jpeg 851w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_6486-249x300.jpeg 249w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_6486-768x925.jpeg 768w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_6486-1800x2167.jpeg 1800w" sizes="(max-width: 213px) 100vw, 213px" /></figure></div>



<p>And you don&#8217;t have to die in a gruesome manner. All you have to do is tell a good story about some scary or creepy events that happened in the house. Then tell people that bad things are likely to happen to anyone who spends time there. When people expect creepy things to happen, they are much more likely to notice and experience creepy things. </p>



<p>Here&#8217;s why. If wind blows through an open window with a &#8220;whoosh&#8221; sound in a normal room, you don&#8217;t think twice about it. But if you hear that same sound in a room that&#8217;s supposed to be haunted, you&#8217;re much more likely to jump and worry about what it might mean. The stories people tell and the fears people hold are what actually haunt houses &#8212; not ghosts or ghouls.</p>



<p>Here&#8217;s a study in which <a href="http://www.each.usp.br/rvicente/HauntProject.pdf"><strong>researchers managed to haunt an empty room</strong></a> &#8211; just by telling people they might experience strange things inside. </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781786037855/Strange-but-True-10-of-the-world-s-greatest-mysteries-explained.html">Strange but True: 10 of the world’s greatest mysteries explained</a></h4>



<p>Order from<strong> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strange-but-True-mysteries-explained/dp/178603784X">Amazon</a></strong> or <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130783906"><strong>Barnes and Noble</strong></a> or <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781786037848"><strong>Indiebound</strong></a></p>
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		<title>How to Make a Dream Journal</title>
		<link>https://kathrynhulick.com/how-to-make-a-dream-journal/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=how-to-make-a-dream-journal</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathryn]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2016 18:13:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Activities and Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Muse magazine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[activity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book binding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coptic binding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[journal]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kathrynhulick.com/?p=687</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I had the most awesome college job ever. I worked in the library repairing books. An elderly gentleman named Chuck taught me how to reinforce spines, replace covers, and repair torn pages (with a tiny iron and special fabric &#8211; never scotch tape!). I even learned some binding techniques. I loved that job. For Muse&#8217;s [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had the most awesome college job ever. I worked in the library repairing books. An elderly gentleman named Chuck taught me how to reinforce spines, replace covers, and repair torn pages (with a tiny iron and special fabric &#8211; never scotch tape!). I even learned some binding techniques. I loved that job.</p>
<p>For <em>Muse&#8217;s</em> latest issue on dreams, I wrote an activity that teaches kids how to make their own dream journal. Yep, those are my hands in the article sewing the binding. Unfortunately, photos and text fall pretty short when it comes to teaching this kind of thing. Hopefully the kids go online and watch a video on YouTube (like I did when I started this project &#8212; I hadn&#8217;t sewn a coptic binding in 10 years).</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5413.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-688 alignnone" alt="Dream Journal" src="http://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5413-1024x1024.jpg" width="491" height="491" srcset="https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5413-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5413-150x150.jpg 150w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5413-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px" /></a><br />
<a href="http://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5416.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-690 alignnone" alt="Dream Journal 3" src="http://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5416-1024x1024.jpg" width="491" height="491" srcset="https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5416-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5416-150x150.jpg 150w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_5416-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px" /></a></p>
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		<title>From Brainwaves to Mind Reading</title>
		<link>https://kathrynhulick.com/from-brainwaves-to-mind-reading/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=from-brainwaves-to-mind-reading</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathryn]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2016 18:50:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Journalism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Science News Explores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Science Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brainwaves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EEG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind control]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind reading]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MRI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neurons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[science fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thoughts]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kathrynhulick.com/?p=644</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[My latest article was just published on Science News for Students: One day, computers may decode your dreams Along with it, I wrote this explainer: How to read brain activity When I set out to write this article, the only real guidance I had was to write something about the science of brainwaves, including what [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My latest article was just published on Science News for Students: <a href="https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/one-day-computers-may-decode-your-dreams">One day, computers may decode your dreams</a></p>
<p>Along with it, I wrote this explainer: <a href="https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-how-read-brain-activity">How to read brain activity</a></p>
<p>When I set out to write this article, the only real guidance I had was to write something about the science of brainwaves, including what they are, and what scientists are learning about them. As I started researching, I found myself tugged in a couple different directions. I had research about using the mind to control robotic limbs, research about learning to read thoughts or dreams, and research about brainwaves as identifiers for cybersecurity.</p>
<p>Really, only the third type of research has anything to do with brainwaves, but I didn&#8217;t know that at first. I thought &#8220;brainwaves&#8221; just meant &#8220;brain activity.&#8221; But, as I learned in conversations with my sources, brainwaves are actually just a rough measurement of overall brain activity, usually visualized as the spiky readout from an EEG. In order to study mind control or read thoughts, scientists have to look deeper, at the activity of individual neurons or small groups of neurons. These signals are called action potentials.</p>
<p>As I was trying to put the whole article together, it was getting way too long and unwieldy. Something had to go, so I cut out the part about brainwaves and cybersecurity. It just didn&#8217;t fit with the theme of using technology to &#8220;read minds&#8221; in order to control a robotic limb or visualize thoughts. So my article about brainwaves wasn&#8217;t really about brainwaves at all! I changed the title to &#8220;The Mind Readers,&#8221; which I still think is a great title. I prefer it to what the editors wound up choosing.</p>
<p>Here is the story on the front page this past week:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/one-day-computers-may-decode-your-dreams"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-648 alignnone" alt="Mind-readers" src="http://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Mind-readers-1024x535.jpg" width="473" height="248" srcset="https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Mind-readers-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Mind-readers-300x156.jpg 300w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Mind-readers.jpg 1204w" sizes="(max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px" /></a></p>
<p>As an aside, I&#8217;m really happy that the editors chose a person of color for the lede image. In one of my articles a while back, I had chosen an image with a person of color and the editors switched it to a picture of a white person. That was frustrating. (In this case again, incidentally, the photo used is not the one I had selected. I had picked a photo of Jan, the subject of one of the experiments discussed.)</p>
<p>I know Science News for Students is really focusing on representing diversity, especially in source material. In every article, we must include at least one source who is female or a minority.  I think that&#8217;s a great policy to get a range of voices from the scientific community out there, even though it&#8217;s not always easy to find that minority source!</p>
<p>Alongside this feature article, I also wrote an explainer about reading brain activity. Most of this was in the original draft, but got broken out into a separate piece to keep the length of the main story down:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-how-read-brain-activity"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-647 alignnone" alt="Brain-activity" src="http://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Brain-activity.jpg" width="393" height="337" srcset="https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Brain-activity.jpg 818w, https://kathrynhulick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Brain-activity-300x257.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 393px) 100vw, 393px" /></a></p>
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