Supernatural reports have long been associated with sight - but now it seems visions of ghosts might be more closely related to something that's smelled.

Research being conducted by a US university has shown there are possible links between the air quality of a room and the hauntings reported to have been seen in it.

A team of researchers from Clarkson University in New York said that human experiences reported in many hauntings are similar to mental or neurological symptoms reported by some individuals who have been exposed to toxic moulds.

It's known that some fungi, like rye ergot fungus, may cause psychosis in humans.

The university's Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Shane Rogers stated that the links were not yet well established, but notes that many hauntings are associated with prime environments to harbor moulds.

The team have said that the goal is not to debunk legends but to investigate why certain places are perceived to be haunted.

"Hauntings are often reported in older-built structures that may also suffer poor air quality.Similarly, some people have reported depression, anxiety and other effects from exposure to biological pollutants in indoor air. We are trying to determine whether some reported hauntings may be linked to specific pollutants found in indoor air."

Rogers, who himself is a confirmed ghost story fan, is working with a group of undergraduate students to measure air quality in several reportedly haunted places, such as the Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg New York, where there is a long history of ghost stories.

The team will gather data at this and several other locations throughout the spring and summer and will publish their results at the end of the study.

By comparing these samples to samples from places with no reported hauntings, the researchers hope to identify factors unique to the haunted locations.

They are looking for common attributes in the mould microbiome in the places believed to be haunted compared to the controls, and are also planning to analyse the types of toxic moulds that may cause psychological effects in humans.

(et qui a dit que la science ne s'intéresse pas au paranormal ???)

A team of researchers from Clarkson University in New York said that human experiences reported in many hauntings are similar to mental or neurological symptoms reported by some individuals who have been exposed to toxic moulds.

It's known that some fungi, like rye ergot fungus, may cause psychosis in humans.

By comparing these samples to samples from places with no reported hauntings, the researchers hope to identify factors unique to the haunted locations.