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Commentary: The Hum

The mystery sound that’s been heard around the world
This is a makeshift map of where most people heard the noise. The bigger the point the more people have heard it.

The Hum is an unknown sound heard around the world. Some may say it’s the world shifting or falling apart, while others say aliens are trying to contact us. The Hum has been heard differently throughout nations. It may come off as a low whistle that you’d think only dogs could hear, a vibration, a rumble, and of course, a humming noise.

Reports of this mystery sound go back as far as the 1970s in the UK, which was its starting point. It slowly started to announce itself to 2% of the world population, though the most famous one recorded sounded like a very creepy and loud siren. That day, there were no drills, no warnings. It was a question for even the government.

Its common names are The Taos Hum and Windser Hum due to it being more popular in Taos, New Mexico and Windser, Ontario. Soon enough, after multiple reports were gathered of this strange sound, a scientist known as Glen MacPherson started a project in 2012 to figure out what the sources could possibly be to this unfamiliar sound.

 “The classic description is that The Hum sounds like a car or truck engine idling outside your home or down the block,” MacPherson said.

He stated that some explanations could be seasonality and weather, which could be our most reasonable explanation since people are affected by it like how they can be affected by those two sources. It has been known to cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, nose bleeds and sleep disturbance. 

“Another group of sufferers have exceptionally sensitive hearing (hyperacusis) and pick up actual environmental noises, which other people either cannot hear or are not bothered by,” MacPherson said.

Although not many people local to Logansport have reported this sound personally, there is still a chance someone has experienced it and just didn’t know it was that. Most assume it’s tinnitus, or that random ringing sound you get in your ear. But, it has been proven by even doctors that their patients don’t have anything wrong with them, leaving them also struck with confusion. 

MacPherson has also had a civic tech builder, Derek Eder, make a worldwide interactive map known as The World Hum Map that allows input and data reports to be added monthly by anyone. There are many videos of the sound or theories provided on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. Today, they are still looking for the source of this mystery sound.

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