The 21 Grams Experiment That Tried to Weigh a Human Soul
Posted4 months agoActive4 months ago
popsci.comResearchstory
calmneutral
Debate
20/100
ParapsychologyHistory of SciencePseudoscience
Key topics
Parapsychology
History of Science
Pseudoscience
The 21 Grams experiment, which attempted to measure the weight of a human soul, is a fascinating example of early 20th-century pseudoscience that continues to spark curiosity and debate.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Light discussionFirst comment
17m
Peak period
3
0-1h
Avg / period
3
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Sep 18, 2025 at 3:47 PM EDT
4 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Sep 18, 2025 at 4:04 PM EDT
17m after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
3 comments in 0-1h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Sep 18, 2025 at 4:38 PM EDT
4 months ago
Step 04
Generating AI Summary...
Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns
ID: 45294120Type: storyLast synced: 11/17/2025, 4:05:02 PM
Want the full context?
Jump to the original sources
Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.
Of course, having said that out loud, odds are someone will be along shortly to cite people who have already said so.
I guess ethical and practical considerations aside (you'd have to find participants that agreed to the experiment, as well as having no grieving and potentially experiment-disturbing kin by the bedside): conducting such experiments would not earn you any positive citations from other scientists who largely try to steer clear of anything that smacks of spirits.
Plus, what if Duncan MacDougall's claim is proven correct?
Oh, wait, this whole 21-grams idea is obviously absurd