UNLV prof’s book probes psychic phenomena

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1997 | 9:07 a.m.

Ask Dean Radin, a new author and a serious researcher into psychic phenomena, how to define his studies and he calls it "unexplained exchanges of information."

Contrast Radin's definition of 'unexplained exchanges of information' with wild claims of telepathic aliens communicating from planets a thousand light years away, 100 percent accurate psychic phone lines, spontaneous human combustion and sightings of Elvis snorkling with the Loch Ness monster.

"You can see why people are confused about what to believe," Radin says. His book, "The Conscious Universe," aims to scientifically explain the truth about psychic phenomena.

Radin, who founded and currently directs the Consciousness Research Division of the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies at UNLV, is both an engineer and a psychologist.

He will be available to sign his book at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Borders bookstore, 2323 S. Decatur Blvd.

The documented volume, published this month by HarperCollins of San Francisco, promises to present "the scientific truth behind psychic phenomena."

After all, most scientists scoff at tabloid stories and psychic phone lines.

"Most scientists are simply unaware that there is any solid evidence, and even less aware that evidence has been reported by scientists at major laboratories," he says.

Laboratories at Stanford, Princeton, MIT and industrial labs such as Bell and Sony, no less.

After 110 years of studying such information exchanges between two or more people, or even people and the environment thousands of miles away, there's enough data collected to say such phenomena exist, he says.

While no one knows how it works, the federal government became fascinated with people who could view top secret military installations in foreign countries through a phenomenon known as "remote viewing."

Radin worked at Princeton University and at SRI International on the government's classified research on psychic phenomena before coming to Las Vegas.

"There is good reason to be skeptical of strong claims of psychic phenomena, but there is also good reason to be wary of throwing the baby out with the bath water," he says.

In the book, Radin notes that every major advancement in science and technology was doubted and tested before acceptance.

There's a difference between the claims of psychics with their strong "powers" and research conducted on psychic phenomena by qualified scientists, he warns.

Then why aren't psychics draining the slot machines and casinos in Las Vegas?

While nobody knows who wins -- millions of dollars flow out of casinos every day -- the actual house takes are high enough to stay in business, Radin said. "Casinos are specifically designed to keep people off-balance and distracted," he said.

Players would have to consistently use optimal strategies to win, and the casino atmosphere doesn't help, he added.

But serious scientific study could advance and enhance psychic abilities in everyone, Radin says.

The basics like energy, information, space and time may require revision, as scientists continue to learn, he says.

Researchers may be able to develop new technology in medicine, communications, intelligence and even detective work.

"In truth, I think we are talking about the beginning of new realms of knowledge that from today's viewpoint, would look like pure magic," Radin says.

Not simple magic tricks, however, since Radin believes our concepts of science, space, time and energy are like a 10-page cartoon version of a 1,000-page novel. Scientists will make a revolutionary leap, changing views of the universe, Radin says.