Metal Finds Woman Attractive

A woman with the power to attract metal to her has been dubbed the “human magnet.”  But as the attention being paid to Brenda Allison turns scientific, is there a way to discover how magnetic she really is?  And with the media frenzy grows, it seems metal isn’t the only thing drawn to her.

Brenda relates about her childhood to newspapers, where she would regularly have trouble with household appliances suddenly malfunctioning in her presence.  As she continued attracting metal through adulthood actions as simple as going to the grocery store could result in a major scene as machines malfunctioned all around her.  She also reportedly can cause light bulbs to burn out.

But Brenda isn’t the only human magnet there ever was.  In fact, all human beings have a magnetic field which can cause various disturbances and be seen in different ways.  In Brenda’s case, however, the prevailing theory is that her magnetism is somehow related to her biological cycle.  Just as the moon waxes and wanes, Brenda’s menstrual cycle apparently is directly connected to her magnetism.

And there are other “human magnets” working to Brenda’s degree and beyond.  In 2007 Aurel Raileanu was the target of a media frenzy for his ability to attract not only small objects such as coins and trinkets, but even larger objects such as irons.  Raileanu wowed audiences and newspapers by holding up a 50 lb television set without the assistance of ropes, glue, or wire and carried it some ways on his chest.  And in Russia the phenomenon has been studied extensively by scientists and scrutinized in the media.

But there does seem to be some limitation on how the magnets work.  If a serious scientific inquiry were to be made into the human magnets, it’s likely the test subjects would be made to manipulate objects without directly touching them as this seems to have an effect.  Many people can hold coins on their bodies without any real magnetic attraction, as natural condensation on the skin can create a suction.  Even large objects held on the stomach can be held in place by creating suction and pulling the objects in with abdominal muscles and finally releasing them.  Magicians have been using similar tricks for years.  But can this simple parlor trick explain the phenomenon of human magnets?  One way to study the effect would be to pass a compass near their bodies as they were “charged.”  Additionally, an old favorite among ghost hunters may come in handy in this case as well – the EMF detector.  What would we find if we studied the magnetic field of these individuals?  And what would we find the cause to be?

While the magnetic talents these individuals appear to possess are interesting, most report they have not been able to discover any practical use for them.  Those interested in the topic and ambitious with it might consider the disabling of electronics through personal magnetic fields may be a worthwhile skill for government agents.