What is the truth behind the Russian girl with x-ray eyes?

AI Thread Summary
A discussion centers around a girl from the Russian bloc who claims to have the ability to see through people and diagnose their health issues. Despite living in poverty, she attracts individuals seeking help, as some local doctors are unable to assist them. Her abilities were recently featured on a program where she was tested by CSICOP, which concluded that while she successfully diagnosed four out of seven patients, she did not meet the threshold to be considered legitimate. The conversation highlights the impressive nature of her skills, though it clarifies that she does not possess literal "x-ray vision." Participants note that her claims may be metaphorical, as she seems to provide detailed diagnoses that go beyond what traditional imaging can reveal. Skeptical points are raised regarding the testing conditions, including her inability to diagnose through a fabric screen, and the structured nature of the tests, which involved her being informed about the ailments beforehand. Overall, while her abilities are intriguing, skepticism remains regarding their authenticity and the methodology of the tests conducted.
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I'm watching a program on discovery channel now about a girl in russain bloc who can actually, get this, see through people and diagnoise their problems! She lives in poverty, and people come to her from all over russia for help since some of the doctors there cannot help her.

Has anyone else heard of this person?
 
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She was on CSICOP the other night and they debunked her. They ended up with a final experimental setup in which she had to successfully diagnose 5 of 7 patients to be considerated legitimate, and she successfully diagnosed 4. Whatever she is doing remains impressive, and frankly, I'd let her diagnose me, as she seemed to have a perfect success rate when she was allowed to do it her way. Still, it was clear by the end that she is not literally able to look inside of people.
 
loseyourname said:
She was on CSICOP the other night and they debunked her. They ended up with a final experimental setup in which she had to successfully diagnose 5 of 7 patients to be considerated legitimate, and she successfully diagnosed 4. Whatever she is doing remains impressive, and frankly, I'd let her diagnose me, as she seemed to have a perfect success rate when she was allowed to do it her way. Still, it was clear by the end that she is not literally able to look inside of people.

I haven't watched the end yet. But at the end this happens?
 
Oh, you're watching the same show. Yes, she is eventually dismissed. Sorry to ruin the ending for you.
 
What sort of things is she successfully diagnosing?
 
She lives in poverty, and people come to her from all over russia for help since some of the doctors there cannot help her.

She could very well use her unique skill to gain riches.
 
CSICOP's test wasn't very definitive, but it was statistically signficant. It would probably be worth testing her again - if she would agree to it.
 
Hmm, x ray vision? How is that even supposed to work? I mean, what is the source of these x rays that she can see?
 
Theoretician said:
Hmm, x ray vision? How is that even supposed to work? I mean, what is the source of these x rays that she can see?
I think, more accurately that 'x ray vision' should be ' "x ray vision" '.

I doubt the article is really attempting to explain *how* she does it - the x ray vision is merely a metaphor to describe this superhuman ability.
 
  • #10
this program was on in the uk about 6 months ago, and she was even invited on some breakfast programs.

what she did was impressive, but i think id agree that she doesn't literally mean "x-ray vision", she probably never mentioned it, cos if you look at an x-ray it can't really tell some of the detail she seems to be able to give.

freaky...
 
  • #11
i actually remember reading about this in skeptical inquirer. some interesting notes:

-the testers wanted to place a fabric screen between the girl and the subjects, but the girl claimed that she could not see through the screen to examine the subjects, even though she does claim to see through peoples clothes.

-she claims to be able to see through people down to the cellular level.

-during the test, there were 7 patients, and she was given the ailments and all she had to do was match the ailment with the patient. to quote the article, "she was told exactly what to look for and where to look."

-along with the four she guessed right, one of the misses included her diagnosing a man with a missing appendix with a large metal plate in his skull.
 
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