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Comment by UI_at_80x24 | Hacker News Reader

IIRC this was debunked as ...The plate/glass was not thoroughly cleaned between photos...

I.E. the leaf left residue on the glass.

It appears to be a form of DBD (dielectric breakdown discharge). Setting aside the para-physical claims, that aspect of it seems reproducible, as a fun science demo, at least.

I agree, the Kirian photography is real, but the GP is taking about the paranormal claims, in particular the torn leaf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirlian_photography#Torn_leaf_...

(Are the original photographs available somewhere? I found only bad modern photoshoped versions, and even a guy that made a debunking video and then his photos were repeated as confirmation evidence.)

Replications are available online, can't seem to spot any of the original material as of now. http://exo-science.com/phantomleaf.html (!!Woo-woo warning, just take what you need and exit stage!!).

Reverse search off above leads to "The Phantom Leaf Effect: A Replication, Part 1" "https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2013.0182". I have not had the time to examine the claims therein.

The second one http://exo-science.com/leaf3.png looks like most of what I found. It's strange to see zero discharge at the cut and an particular at the right part of the cut that has an acute angle. Suspicious...

The other like http://exo-science.com/leaf1.png are very similar to the one in the article, but they just have too much detail on the phantom part to be real. If I have to guess, they cut the leave and put both parts on the device.

I'd wait until Mythbuster return.

This is specifically addressed in the article, at length.

I consider it a given that any living organism radiates (heat) energy: there is constant energy and matter exchange with its surroundings; a foundational aspect of life. I consider it at least a possibility that by looking at this radiation, you can find correlations between balanced “health” (new age speak: intact Aura), and potential imbalances, and thus that it may work as a diagnostic tool.

You can measure someone's temperature to find out if they have a fever, is that the kind of thing you're suggesting?

Did you ever touch a human body and noticed that its temperature feels different in different regions? Even, say, down one arm? That’s what I was referring to; not core temperature.

They do that for professional athletes but they use thermal cameras for that and look for asymmetries in the left and right side of the body. That seems to give a clue about inflammations. They look for differences as low as 0.1°C iirc. Take all that with a grain of salt because I heard very little about it.

As a sufferer of psoriatic arthritis, I am painfully aware of this phenomenon.

Out of curiosity: did you ever try a craniosacral biodynamics treatment session, and if yes, how was it for you?

Biodynamics is a method of organic farming.

Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle, noninvasive hands-on treatment that uses light touch to help release tension around your body’s connective tissue (fascia).

Craniosacral Biodynamics Treatment is what then?

I’m all for hands-on treatment, but there’s better modalities than whatever this is presented to be.

I didn’t pick the name. It comes from an embryology researcher, Erich Blechschmidt, and was picked up by craniosacral osteopaths. It is a branch of craniosacral therapy. It has nothing to do with the esoteric farming method that goes by the same name.

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