Alles Hokuspokus? Wunder im Test | DW Deutsch

Overview

The video discusses a long-running series of laboratory tests conducted by German skeptics to evaluate claims of paranormal “superpowers,” specifically:

• Dowsing / magnetic sensitivity
• Psychic influence

The premise is that if a claimant can detect “electromagnetic waves” (or hidden objects/fields) under controlled conditions, they can win a substantial cash prize (10,000 euros).

Main points and findings

Controlled skeptic tests (Würzburg, 14 years)

Biologists Dr. Martin Mahner and Dr. Rainer Wolf oversee repeatable lab experiments designed to:

• prevent cheating
• reduce uncontrolled variables

The video frames the work as a way to expose extraordinary claims to straightforward scientific controls.

Paranormal claim investigated

A claimant from Poland, Heinz Krieger (described as an amateur operator/discoverer), and connected to a “magnetic/electromagnetic wave” theory, claims he can detect a hidden substance/object using:

• dowsing methods and/or
• metal rods
• pendulum-like mechanisms

Bucket test (highly controlled, randomized)

The experiment uses 10 identical buckets, with only one containing water. Key controls include:

• the water location is randomized by lot
• Krieger is blind to the setup
• the test is repeated across 13 rounds

Result: After multiple trials, adjudicators compare his guesses to the true water location.

• The report states he achieved no correct hits (i.e., his detections never matched the bucket containing water).

Follow-up stance: claim defended but evidence fails

Krieger argues the effect should still work in principle—drawing comparisons to dowsing on construction sites. However, the skeptics emphasize that the method must be:

• validated under experimental conditions
• not adjusted or justified after failures

Second phase: electromagnetic-field premise

A later setup tests a specific electromagnetic-field idea:

• an aluminum tube is hidden under a cardboard box
• the goal is to see whether the pendulum responds to the alleged electromagnetic effect

The claimant is described as “feeling” the tube’s presence via pendulum response, with added measures to ensure he is not influenced by:

• proximity to equipment
• proximity to people
• other potential cues during measurement

Testing details: The procedure is repeated 50 times, with the tube placed/removed and hidden beneath the box.

The video highlights that repeated trials are statistically necessary, not merely casual demonstrations.

Why failures occurred (as claimed vs. skeptic response)

When results fail to support the paranormal claim, the video portrays Krieger (and/or accompanying candidates) as offering explanations for why the experiment didn’t succeed, such as:

• imprecision in distances between pendulum and object
• unstable experimental conditions

The skeptic leadership counters that such factors cannot “rescue” the claim unless the phenomenon becomes reliably detectable in controlled conditions.

Overall conclusion

After years of testing and many eliminated candidates, the video concludes that:

• no demonstrated supernatural ability survives controlled testing

It also presents a broader educational goal:

• educating the public
• combating superstition
• demonstrating that paranormal claims can be tested transparently using randomized, repeatable experiments

Presenters / contributors

• Dr. Martin Mahner
• Dr. Rainer Wolf
• Heinz Krieger
• Heinz Krieger’s son-in-law, referred to only as “from Poland” (mentioned as accompanying him)
• Ottawa, described as the “Polish magnetism man” (a claimant/candidate in the pendulum/aluminum-tube phase)
• “Ingo” (a participant who comments during discussion)
• The video also references multiple other rejected candidates, including “60 candidates.”