Opinion Faye Flam: Havana Syndrome Is a Mystery, But Not of Physics
We know far more about microwaves than we do about our own brains.
By Faye Flam
March 2, 2023, 10:15 PM UTC
An exotic microwave weapon is the most exciting and attention-grabbing explanation for Havana Syndrome — a suite of neurological symptoms that has been afflicting people in the US diplomatic and intelligence services since 2016. But a new report by US intelligence agencies says there’s no credible evidence that those health problems are tied to microwave weapons or any other sort of attack by a foreign adversary.
Yet it’s hard to know what to believe because the latest report adds to a batch of conflicting findings from respectable research teams. In 2020, the National Academies of Sciences, Medicine and Engineering concluded that a microwave weapon was the most likely cause of Havana Syndrome, while a prestigious group of scientific advisers called JASON called it “highly unlikely” in a 2018 report.
The first case involved a US undercover agent in Havana, who, in November of 2016, heard a piercing noise and developed a permanent ringing in his ears and some hearing loss. He started suffering other health problems, as did some of his colleagues, though each case was different. After the number of victims grew to more than 20, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania scanned their brains and performed a neurological workup. The results were ambiguous — the Penn researchers claimed a fine-grained MRI showed subtle differences between the people with the syndrome and a control group, but other neurologists pointed out the result was consistent with the normal variation between brains.
The symptoms described by 1,500 people with Havana Syndrome symptoms, though — including tinnitus, dizziness, headaches, insomnia and brain fog — seem very real. So how do we know which explanation is most likely to be accurate?
More:
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-03-02/havana-syndrome-is-a-mystery-but-not-of-physics#xj4y7vzkg
Or:
https://archive.ph/XbyXJ#selection-3839.0-3855.190
