Frequently Asked Questions

The current background level (around 27 µTh in the global mean) is two orders of magnitude below the threshold of everyday discernibility, which controlled trials of the 1960s established at 2–3 mTh. In other words, the absence of observable manifestations is not an anomaly but the expected consequence of the measured state of the background. The Institute notes that the subjective "sense of wonder" is not a measurable quantity and is not subject to instrumental verification.

According to the consensus assessment of the inter-agency working group, complete depletion poses no direct risk to the life of the population: all critical infrastructural and biological processes have long operated in magic-free mode. At the same time, model calculations of the THAUM-GCM family do not exclude long-term cultural and psychological effects (a reduced frequency of inspiration, impeded formation of folklore), the assessment of which lies outside the Institute's mandate. The asymptotic approach of the GMBI to zero is expected no earlier than the 2070s.

The thaum is the base unit of the quantity of magic: the amount of magic required to levitate one gram of matter by one metre under standard conditions. For practical measurements, submultiple units are used: the millithaum (mTh, one thousandth) and the microthaum (µTh, one millionth). Station readings of the network are published in microthaums; values of the Global Magical Background Index (GMBI) are given in points on a relative scale, with the 1854 peak set at 100.

Values before the start of the instrumental period have been reconstructed by indirect methods: dendrothaumatological series, ice cores and the statistics of parish registers of miracles. Reconstructed segments of the series are accompanied by widened confidence intervals and are flagged in publications as estimates. The dating of the background peak to the mid-1850s has been confirmed by three independent methods.

Report the observation via the 24-hour hotline +41 31 000 18 54 or through the contact form, stating the exact time, place and nature of the phenomenon. If possible, do not leave the observation site until a remote consultation with the duty thaumometrist has taken place. Please note: of the 312 reports verified in 1990–2016, not one was confirmed instrumentally; nevertheless, protocol VP-9 requires every report to be checked.

The certified volunteer observer programme is open to adult residents of States Parties to the Bern Protocol. A candidate applies through the national thaumometric service, completes a distance course (40 academic hours) and passes certification for neutrality of expectations. Successful candidates are provided with a T-domo class household thaumometer on terms of custodial responsibility. Data from the volunteer subnetwork are included in the global averaging after a station's two-year probationary period.

The Institute's mandate, defined by the founding act of 1921, is limited to monitoring, forecasting and scientific-methodological support. Questions of active background restoration fall within the competence of member states; for its part, the Institute notes that none of the rethaumization technologies proposed to date has passed the stage of independent reproducibility. Annex III of the Bern Protocol restricts only the proliferation of dethaumizing technologies.

A panel study by the Institute (Kowalczyk et al., 2025) found a statistically significant negative association between the density of wireless networks and the local background at the level of urban agglomerations. However, transferring this result to the scale of an individual dwelling is incorrect: intra-apartment variability of the background lies below the resolving power of T-domo class instruments. The Institute issues no recommendations concerning the domestic use of wireless devices.