The Hum

The Hum is a phenomenon, or collection of phenomena, involving a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise not audible to all people. Hums have been widely reported by national media in the UK and the United States. The Hum is sometimes prefixed with the name of a locality where the problem has been particularly publicized: e.g., the "Bristol Hum", the "Taos Hum", or the "Bondi Hum".

Data from a Taos Hum study suggests that a minimum of 2% and perhaps as many as 11% of the population could detect the Taos Hum and the Daily Telegraph in 1996 likewise reported a figure of 2% of people hearing the Bristol Hum. For those who can hear the Hum it can be a very disturbing phenomenon and it has been linked to at least 3 suicides in the UK. However, amongst those who cannot hear the hum and some specialists, there has been skepticism about whether it in fact exists.