Scientists Slam For The Slam Microwave Theory “Havana Syndrome”

The microwave attack is the “most credible” manifestation of the mysterious wounds reported by dozens of U.S. diplomats in Cuba three years ago, concluded by a long-awaited investigation over the weekend.

But the scientists collaborated Report of the National Academies of ScienceAccording to the U.S. State Department, the discovery about possible microwave attacks is far from definitive. Meanwhile, experts on microwaves and the mysterious “Havana Syndrome” found it compelling. One scientist called it “science fiction.”

“In many ways, what we’re saying is that the U.S. government needs to take a more preferential and comprehensive approach,” said David Relman, president of the panel, an expert on infectious diseases at Stanford. “It takes the effort of the entire government, in addition to looking at what happened, to predict what the future will hold.”

The State Department praised the release, and said in a statement to BuzzFeed News that the report “can be added to the data and analysis that can help us definitively conclude what happened.”

The document adds: “Among other conclusions, the report warns that the ‘constellation of signs and symptoms’ is consistent with the effects of pulsed radio frequency energy.

Approximately 35 diplomats have denounced the mysterious wounds that began in late 2016, and the U.S. severed diplomatic relations with Cuba for much of the Trump administration.

In 2017, the State Department first raised concerns about staff at the U.S. Embassy in Havana after hearing loud noises and reporting symptoms such as earache, headache and head pressure. Initial news cited sonic weapons as the cause, causing deafness, inner ear damage and a concussion syndrome of brain damage – ruled out by new NAS reports – Rex Tillerson, then head of the State Department, called. “health attacks”To diplomats and their families.

Other theories suggested that they were caused by mysterious diseases cricket noises massive hysteria or Russian spies are zapping diplomats somehow. In 2019, the State Department asked NAS to provide advice on how to review diseases with the scarce information available and how to gather medical information for future sets of cases. The jury met three times last year to hear from medical teams that cared for or examined some of the affected patients; He also reviewed reports from the CDC and the National Institutes of Health and heard testimonies from eight patients in closed sessions.

Due to security and medical privacy laws and the lack of information about the people involved, the jury was thrilled. The data from the medical examinations given were not accurate enough, as they were collected to help treat patients, rather than investigating the occurrence of injuries.

“We had no information about the individual people, who was first affected, later affected, what their connection was,” said panel member Jeffrey Staab, a psychiatric professor at the Mayo Clinic. Given these limitations, the panel relied on the sharp and immediate symptoms reported among Havana diplomats (loud sounds, pressure, vibrations, earache, and headaches) as the most distinctive information and information about possible explanations. The jury also ruled out similar injuries to Canadian tourists and U.S. diplomats in China.

“There are real holes in information,” Staabe said. “Even if we had all the security permits to see everything about everyone, there would be holes in the information.”

These limitations themselves limited what scientists could say were credible explanations for the injuries, jury members told BuzzFeed News. A theory that a mysterious disease caused by an infectious disease, such as the Zika virus, was considered “very difficult,” and a new explanation that the outbreak is caused by pesticide poisoning is “unsafe,” although scientists noted that no blood samples were left from patients. to completely rule it out.

Scientists also studied a third theory that the cause was a massive psychological illness. In this scenario, the set of acute symptoms is attributed to a wide range of chronic conditions (especially persistent dizziness, difficulty thinking, insomnia, and headache), reflecting the occurrence of injuries caused by social pollution. However, without data on people and their contacts to map social media, Staabe said the panel could not draw any specific conclusions. “The hardest part is the psychological and social explanation,” Relman said.

This left the last theory that the disease was caused by “a directed attack of radio frequency energy.” Based on a real phenomenon called the “Frey effect,” where pulsed microwave beams aimed at a person’s ears can cause clicks that only the target person can hear, the panel suggested that the “Frey-like effect” was the most “credible” explanation.

“It’s a bit dramatic. But first, something important and real happened to these people, “Relman said.” We looked at possible mechanisms and saw that it was more compelling than others and matched some of the most distinct clinical findings. “

The report concluded that a microwave attack could later lead to compensatory balance and dizziness, aided by depression caused by injuries. Chronic injuries often have psychological aspects that should not be considered as a real symptom, Staabe said.

Some of the most important findings of the report were that the State Department was recommended to study future sets thoroughly, instead of doctors who are familiar with brain injuries with multidisciplinary experts. “Whatever happens, we can’t let that happen again,” Staabe said.

However, experts in both microwaves and group psychology were highly critical of the report’s findings.

“The report has no consistent argument as to why microwaves should be involved,” said bioengineer Kenneth Foster of the University of Pennsylvania, who first described the mechanism behind the Frey effect. 1974an. The effect requires very high power levels to create sounds that are barely audible, and it is not known to cause any injuries. “Maybe someone had trouble carrying the truck on a large microwave transmitter to hear the staff‘ click, ’but there are easier ways to harass people,” he said.

“This is not science, it’s science fiction,” said UCLA neurologist Robert Baloh, the author. Havana Syndrome: Massive Psychogenic Illness and the Mystery of the Embassy and the True Story Behind the Hysteria. Baloh said the news, which the panel did not consider, only paints a picture of diseases spreading among patients in ways that resemble the occurrences of past group psychology. “There is a lot of misunderstanding of these symptoms, people are really hurt, even among doctors,” he added.

Neuroscientist Mitchell Joseph Valdés Sosa of the Cuban Neuroscience Center said the report is a step in the right direction, as it invalidates the wildest theories of sonic weapons and brain damage. Similar to the findings 2018 Report of the Cuban Academy of Sciences, Conducted by Sosa, suggested that early injury among some people was likely spread by mass psychology to more people in the wider diplomatic community. “We don’t agree with the discovery of radio frequency pulses, of course,” Sosa said, “but this is the first time U.S. experts have recognized that psychogenic effects may be important.”

The microwave attack has indicated that Cuban hotels and neighborhoods are believed to be in open places crowded with people, and therefore a very small group will be harmed or the attacks could go unnoticed.

The Cuban Academy of Sciences approached the table to present surveys of the neighborhoods where they were injured, Sosa added. But it was said that the panel’s contract did not allow for consultation with Cubans.

Not a single board member seems to have much experience in the biological effects of microwaves, which could explain Frey’s willingness to consider a similar effect as credible, said Old Dominion University bioengineer Andrei Pakhomov, who said he was skeptical based on his research for four decades. around. “Biological effects in radio frequency areas are reported, but are not reliable.”

However he reported the suspicions Russian spies somehow based on Soviet-era research to create this weapon, a Russian emigrant Pakhomov said the area is now extinct in Russia.

“I know everyone who could do something in this area,” he said. “Everyone is retired or unscientific.”