AllMovie

Nova and magician James Randi set out to determine if those claiming paranormal powers are legitimate in Nova: Secrets of the Psychics. They travel to Russia, long rumored to be populated with its fair share of persons with special gifts. An early stop is the Institute of the Brain in Moscow, where Randi tests the scientists' findings of a psychic's ability to change the brain activity and blood pressure of a subject. He feels that magicians are better able to detect fraud than scientists due to their sensitivity to the "for show" aspects of paranormal demonstrations.