Strange Universe: The Hum

The Hum is exactly what it sounds like—an audible, deep growl mostly described as vaguely mechanical, but often with no known mechanisms in range. The phenomenon was first noted in the 1980s, and seems stronger around locations like Taos, New Mexico. The Hum varies in strength among its listeners—some detect it quite vividly to the point where it becomes a painful annoyance, while others hear it only infrequently and faintly. This variation causes some to dismiss the Hum as a purely subjective psychological sensation, or as mere tinnitus of the ear. But unlike cryptids, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena, the Taos Hum offers real evidence with several sound recordings.

For residents near Taos, the Hum is no laughing matter or amusing anecdote. The droning is a ceaseless irritant, driving some residents to the point of nervous breakdown. Assuming the Hum has nothing but an easily explainable man made or natural origin doesn't stop serious psychosis from setting in. Human brains are geared to correlate all the senses, and strange sounds without easy origins are no exception. This has prompted a fair number of conspiracy theories and spiritual hallucinations in recent years. 

Despite the fantastic theories engendered by the powerful, relentless Hum, the true explanation is probably more mundane, but still fascinating. Tectonic plate movement, pulsed microwaves, disintegrating meteors in the atmosphere, and vast Ionospheric heating projects have been blamed. Of course, the usual suspects — shady government programs and alien aerial surveillance — will always take precedence because they give an easily identifiable enemy to scorn. The Hum's true origins are likely to remain a lingering mystery. And that means its shrouded origins can only inspired further mental illusions and some chilling pop-culture references, like the episode based around it in the sixth season of The X-Files.

Despite grave difficulty capturing the sound, a handful of alleged recordings have been made. A brief snippet of the sound can be heard in this documentary:



-Grim Blogger