Modern Mysteries

Scientists may know why people keep hearing mysterious humming sounds

By T.K. Randall
June 4, 2026

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Over the years, we've reported on several cases of a mysterious humming noise, often occurring across a wide area and affecting large numbers of people at a time.

Such phenomena often deny explanation, with local authorities investigating the reports but with no conclusive source ever being found, much to the dismay of those who can hear it.

In some cases, people have been driven to despair by the hum which can continue unabated all day and night, leaving them unable to sleep and causing ongoing stress and discomfort.

It is also not uncommon for others in the same area to be unable to hear anything at all.

Now, according to researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the answer to this phenomenon could be that some people may simply have better low-frequency hearing than others and are therefore able to hear sounds that most people cannot.It is also thought that a form of tinnitus might also be responsible.

"We know that there are people who hear low-frequency sounds that can actually be measured, even if other people don't hear them," said Professor Markus Drexl.

"But it's not so easy to find the source of these sound waves, because it's a struggle to localize low-frequency sounds."

In other words - some people may be more susceptible to this problem than others and the inability of local authorities to find the source of the noise may be due to how difficult it actually is to get a fix on something producing a sound of such a low frequency.

The good news is that this suggests that these people may be hearing a sound that genuinely exists, though the bad news is that finding a solution to it may not be that easy.

Source: Mail Online

Tags: Sound