If you have a superpower and can prove it to these German scientists, you can get a reward of 10,000 Euros or $11,700 US. The Society for the Scientific Investigation of Para-Sciences (GWUP) is a group of German physicists, biologists, and psychologists. They have said that people who claim that they have super-powers like telekinesis, telepathy or divining abilities should not be dismissed. They should be studied and allowed to prove their abilities in controlled laboratory conditions. Every year they invite candidates to the University of Wurzburg in Wurzburg, Germany to show off their super-powers and claim the prize. More than 60 people have been tested in the recent years, however, none of them was able to claim the prize.
Rainer Wolf, a perceptual researcher, said, “We’re not here to make people look ridiculous. We want to show that many such claims are nonsense.” Since the claims appear to be nonsense, it doesn’t mean that people are trying to be deceitful. Wolf and his colleagues in the GWUP are convinced that most of the candidates believe that they have these special abilities which science is not yet able to explain. They are trapped in a belief system which they have built over a long period and means a lot to them as well. They forget all the failures and seem to remember the times which their talents were able to produce amazing results. However, in the case of actual testing, they always fail.
Rainer Wolf also puts a lot of time and work into these superpower tests and make them as fair as possible. For instance, last year one of the candidates who showed up for testing claimed that he had mastered telekinesis and was able to move small objects with the power of his mind. Wolf asked him to move a small piece of paper which was covered with a glass lid so that wind or other air currents cannot interfere. The man tried to move the piece of paper for many hours before finally giving up.
There was also a so-called geo pathologist who claimed that he was able to use a small pickax to detect water sources, pipes, and even electrified wires. Wolf had him identify which of the power cables in a university room were electrified. After preparing for the test for several hours, he was able to locate only 26 of the total 50 cables. This is the average which any average person was able to guess as per the probability rules. Another candidate claimed to be able to levitate, however; she also failed miserably many times before finally accepting her defeat.
One thing that remained constant in all these candidates was that this failure was not able to crush their conviction. Prof Rainer Wolf said that this is their true super-power, their ability to find excuses, and retaining their confidence in their abilities. Fortune tellers used to say that the stars are not aligned properly, spiritualists say that the secret forces prevent them from reaching their goal while others will blame their failure on fatigue or working or stress. There is always something to give as an excuse. Despite having the results of the tests in the form of significant failure, the candidates still manage to find the strength to continue to believe in their abilities.
Heinz Krieger, a diviner who swore that he could find water using two divining rods. In a test where only one out of 10 covered buckets contained water, Krieger was challenged to find the right bucket in at least 7 out of 13 attempts. He couldn’t find the water bottle even once. When asked by reporters if he still believes in his super-power, he said: “of course.” He said he doesn’t know why his power didn’t work during the test however his superpower is not his imagination. If you think you have a real superpower and you are willing to prove it, go over to the GWUP website and apply. Maybe you can be the first person who can finally convince these scientists and can claim your financial award.