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38 Science EIR May14,2010

Becauseofthelimitationsofoursenseorgans,weareconsciousonlyof anarrowsliverof the electromag-neticspectrum,mostlyintherangeofvisiblelightandinfraredradiation.Whileotherorganismsareadaptedtosensedifferentregionsofthespectrum,werelyontheuseofourextendedtechnologicalsenseorganstogainaccesstothefullrangeofradiationpenetratingtheterrestrialenvironmentfromtheSunandmoredistantcosmicsources,aswellastheirinteractionwiththeat-mosphereandelectromagneticfieldsoftheEarth.

Withthisexpandedsenseapparatusprovidedbyin-strumentation,wecanseenotmerelydiscreteobjectsexisting in space,but anactivecontinuumextendingwithinandbetweenallsuchseeminglyseparateobjects,composed of both the presumed particles of cosmicrays, aswell as the various, intersecting electromag-neticwave-phenomena.

Inthisway,wecontinuallyovercometheveryreallimitationsofourphysiology, thoughweremainsus-ceptible to artificial limitations inour thinkingpar-ticularlywhenweallowanave interpretationofourbasicsenseperceptionstodominateourpictureofthephysicalworld,whosecharacteristicsintheverylargeandtheverysmallarerevealedbythegeneralphenom-enaofcosmicradiation.

The Russian biogeochemist Vladimir Vernadskybelievedthatthepervasiveactionofthecontinualrangeoftheunseencosmicradiationspermeatingallofspace

wassosignificant,thatnotonlytheBiosphereinclud-ingits transformationbyhumanactionintotheNo-spherebuteventhedistributionandcharacterofthechemical elements in thecrust, couldonlybeunder-stoodasmanifestationsofcosmicprocesses.

InThe Biosphere,Vernadskywrote that livingor-ganismsarethefruitofextended,complexprocesses,andareanessentialpartofaharmoniouscosmicmech-anism,inwhichitisknownthatfixedlawsapplyandchancedoesnotexist.

LikeEdgarAllanPoesPurloinedLetter,theevi-dence of the harmonious cosmicmechanism is allaroundus.Thevastexperimentaldataoncosmicradia-tionanditsconnectiontocyclesofclimate,biodiver-sity,andmassextinctionsaresubstantial,albeitprelim-inary,hintsattheeffectsofbiologicalregulationonanastrophysicalscale.1Arichmaterial-energeticconnec-tionbindstheEarthwiththeSolarSystemandtheentireMilkyWaygalaxy.

Justasimportantasthisconnection,isthematerial-energetic distinction manifested between non-living,living,andcognitiveprocesses.Asthehighestexpres-sionofmaterial-energetictransformation,boththeBio-sphereasawhole,aswellasindividualorganisms(thespecific expression of what Vernadsky called living

1. SkyShields,KeshaRogersVictoryLaunchestheRebirthofaMarsColonizationPolicy!http://www.larouchepac.com/node/13802

EIRScience

Onward to Mars: The Triumph Of the Weak Forcesby Oyang Teng

May14,2010 EIR Science 39

matter)providenaturalinstrumentsofthemostexqui-sitesensitivityforregisteringthefundamentalproper-tiesofmaterialandenergeticphenomena.Ratherthanattemptingtobuildtheuniverseupfromitspresumedsmallest, inorganic parts, we must build downwardsfromcognitiveandlivingprocesses.Thisapproachwillnecessarilyleadto,amongotherthings,anexpansionoftheperiodictableoftheelements.2

A False DichotomyUnfortunately, the much-hyped historical division

betweenthemechanisticandvitalisticoutlook,hasin-grainedafalsedichotomyincontemporarythought.Forexample,althoughthemechanistreducesallprocesses,includingbiologicalones,tomovementsofdiscretepar-ticlesofmatter,andthevitalistlocatescausalityinsomeagencyactingoutsidethosematerialparts,typicallyinsomeunique formof energy, both accept the samefundamentalassumptionregardingtheexistenceofdis-creteparticlesofmatterassuch.Despite thefact that

2. PeterMartinson,TowardsaNewPeriodicTableofCosmicRadia-tion.http://www.larouchepac.com/node/14253

few people today wouldclaimtobeeithertruemecha-nistsortruevitalists,modernscienceisstillshackledbyacrude materialism, contin-ued,forexample,intheformofthecompromiseknownasthewave-particleduality.

How does scientificthought distinguish the effi-cient existence of discrete,whole processes from thephysical continua in whichthey participate? For exam-ple,theEarthsBiosphereasawhole represents a singu-larity within the constantbiogenicmigrationofatomsthroughoutthegalaxy,justasindividual organisms repre-sent singularitieswithin theprocess of biogenic migra-tionthroughtheBiosphere.3Dothesesingularitiesrepre-sent unique manifestationsof physical space-time, as

Vernadskyhypothesized?Ifso,itmakescleartherevolutionaryimplications

ofinterplanetaryspaceflightataccelerationssufficienttoproduceanartificialgravitationalfield,ascontainedintheMoon-MarscolonizationproposalofLyndonLa-Rouche.Theconsiderationof living processeswithinacceleratedreferenceframesamidstthedenseradiationfieldsofcosmicspacegoestotheheartofthefunda-mental questions at the root of a true, Unified FieldTheory.4While the theoreticalquestions involvedarefascinatinginthemselves,humanprogressdependsontheiranswerbydirectexperimentwhicharapidde-velopmentofHelium-3-poweredfusionrocketscouldeasilymakepossiblewithinthiscentury,andperhapsevenwithindecades.

However,therealreadyexistsavastrecordofex-perimental evidence pointing to the unique physical

3. Shields,op.cit.4. SkyShields,TheSignificanceofBiologicalResearchinSpacefortheDevelopmentofaUnifiedFieldTheory,Submission to theNa-tionalResearchCouncilsDecadalSurveyforBiologicalandPhysicalSciencesinSpace,October2009.http://wwww.nationalacademies.org/SSBSurvey/DetailFileDisplay.aspx?id=399.

NASAConfronting the challenges of a manned Mars mission today offers the most lawful means for deepening our undertanding of the relationship of electromagnetism to life. Shown: An artists concept of a nuclear thermal rocket arriving in Mars vicinity, about to insert the transfer vehicle into orbit.


space-timeattributesoflivingorganisms,includingthebiologicalsignificanceofelectromagneticradiation.

Asidefrommoreenergeticbiochemicalreactions,organismsarehighlysensitivetoforcesoperatingatap-parentlymuchlowerordersofmagnitude.Suchweakforcesprominently include low-intensity electromag-neticradiation,producingso-callednon-thermalef-fects,thatis,operatingbelowthoseintensitiescapableofheatingornoticeablydisruptinglivingtissue.Theseeffectshavebeenextensivelydocumented,despitehis-toricaloppositiontotheorthodoxviewoftheorganismasnothingmorethanabiochemicalmachinegovernedbypoint-to-point interactionsinthesmall.Typicalofsuchprejudice,istheLinearNoThresholdtheory,de-claringanyamountofionizingradiationtobebiologi-callydamaging,despitetheoverwhelmingevidenceforthebenefitsoflow-doseradiation.

VernadskysdefinitionofanindividualorganismasinseparableinprinciplefromtheentireBiosphere,and,by extension, from the cosmic processeswhich pro-ducedit,demandsanewunderstandingoftheorganismas, essentially, a uniquely organized electromagneticprocess.However,thisshouldnotimplytheNewAgevitalismoflifeenergiesorsimilarmysticism.Simi-larly,someinvestigatorsinthefieldofbioelectromag-netism,professing toreject the limitationsofa tradi-tional mechanistic view, have relied instead on acyberneticinterpretationofself-organizingphenomenain life,despite the fact that the livingprocesses theystudyareinprincipleirreducibletocyberneticconceptssuchasfeedbackloopsandinformationtheory,derivedentirelyfromtheoperationofmachines.

The Body ElectricAs we shall see, confronting the challenges of a

manned Mars mission today offers the most lawfulmeansfordeepeningourunderstandingoftherelation-shipofelectromagnetismtolife,asubjectofinvestiga-tionwhichgoesatleastasfarbackasthefamous18th-CenturyexperimentsbyLuigiGalvaniontheelectricalstimulationoffroglegs.Thefieldofstudynowincludeseverythingfromthebioelectricorgansusedbysharkstohunttheirprey,tothenatureofelectricalregulationofthe human brain and nervous system, to the internalmagneticcompassesofbirdsandfish.Oneofthemostdramaticmanifestationsofelectromagnetic regulationinorganismsisthephenomenonofregeneration,there-creationoffullyfunctionalbodypartswhicharelostduetoinjury,thestudyofwhichledscientistslikeRobert

Becker5tobeginthesystematicinvestigationoftherela-tionshipbetweenelectromagnetismandlivingsystems.

Measurementsmade in the 1830sfirst establishedthat small electrical currents are produced around in-juredtissueinanimals.Wheredoesthiselectricitycomefrom?Thediscoveryof thenerveactionpotentialnotlongafterwardsseemedtosolvethemystery,byattrib-uting bioelectrical potentials to the differences in ionconcentrationsacrosscellmembranes.However, laterexperimentsdemonstratedthat,whiletheemergenceofdirectelectricalcurrentsdependedon thepresenceofperipheralnervetissue,theywerenotmerelysecondaryeffectsoftheactionpotential.Thesedirectcurrentsex-hibitverydistinctbehaviorduringregeneration,aca-pacitywhichbecomesmoreprevalentinorganismsthelowerdowntheevolutionaryladderonegoes.

Forexample,theplanarian(Figure 1),aspeciesofflatwormwithaprimitivenervoussystem,canregener-atewholeorganismsfromalmostanypieceofitselfthatiscutoff!Experimentsshowedthatthehead-tailaxisoftheplanarianwasdeterminedby electric poles estab-lishedbyinternalcurrents,andthatartificiallyreversingthedirectionofcurrentcouldproduceaheadwhereatailwouldnormallybefound,andviceversa.

However,itwasthestudyofsalamanders(Figure 2)whichfirstrevealedthehighlyspecificbehaviorofthecurrentsofregeneration.Inamputatedsalamander

5. RobertO.BeckerandGarySeldon,The Body Electric: Electromag-netism and the Foundation of Life (NewYork:WilliamMorrowandCompany,1985)

Luigi Galvanis 18th-Century experiments on the electrical stimulation of frog legs opened up a field of study about the relationship of electromagnetism to life. One of the most dramatic manifestations of electromagnetic regulation in organisms is the phenomenon of regenerations of body parts . (See p. 41.)


limbs,theinjurycurrentwasfoundtoreversedirectionashorttimeafterinjury,goingfrompositivetohighlynegative.This reversal inpolarity,combinedwithanincreaseinitsmagnitude,isaccompaniedbytheforma-tionofamassofcellsatthestumptip,calledtheblas-tema(Figure 3),fromwhichthenewlimbeventuallyforms(Figure 4).Asregenerationproceeds,themagni-tudeof thepolarityslowlydiminishes,eventuallyre-turningtozero.Innon-regeneratinganimalslikefrogsandevenrats,partialregenerationcanbeinducedby

mimicking these highlyspecificpolarityandmag-nitude changes with ap-pliedelectriccurrent.

The blastema itselfturnsouttobeadultcellsthat have de-differenti-ated into a totipotentstate,capableofre-differ-entiating into theneedednew types of cells re-quired by the regenerat-ing limb.So, in additionto the question of theorigin of the electricalcurrents, we must ask:How is it that such cur-rentsarecapableofiniti-atingtheprocessofblas-tema formation byinducingspecificcells tode-differentiate,andhowdotheyhelptodeterminethe form of the regener-ated body part? All theexperiments led to oneunifyingconclusion:Theoverall structure, theshape,thepattern,ofanyanimalisasrealapartofits body as are its cells,heart, limbs, or teeth.Whatroledoeselectricityplay in rememberingthewholeorganism,evenwhen the physical partsdisappear?

Inhumans,theclosestanalogue to regeneration

(asdistinctfromwoundhealing)istherepairofbonefractures,whichisaccompaniedbytheformationofablastema,andthecharacteristicpolarityandmagnitudereversalsof the injurycurrent, in regenerating limbs,andwhichhasbeenfoundtobeacceleratedthroughtheapplicationofpulsedelectromagneticfields.Theelec-tromagneticcontrolsystemforthebodyasawholeex-tends from the brain throughout the nervous system

. Becker,op.cit.

HHS/National Toxicology ProgramThe planarian (Figure 1), a species of flatworm, can regenerate whole organisms from almost any piece of itself that is cut off; in amputated salamander limbs (Figure 2), a reversal in polarity is accompanied by the formation of a mass of cells at the stump tip, called the blastema (Figure 3), from which the new limb eventually forms; the sea star (Figure 4) is growing new legs after the old ones were lost.

creative commons/Scott Carmazine

FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2

FIGURE 4 FIGURE 3


and,amongotherthings,regulatestheoverallactivityand sensitivity of the brains neuronsthough theseeminglyunlimitedcapacity for thebrain to reorga-nizeitself,generally termedneuroplasticity,seemstodefyanysimplybiologicalorbioelectricexplanation.

Thenagain,explanationsformanyofthemostbasicprocessesofbiologyhaveproventobeelusive.Forex-ample,theformationoftheblastemainregenerationisstrikingly similar to embryogenesis, the intricate andhighlycoordinatedprocessesgoverningtheactionbywhichafullorganismdevelopsfromasingle,undiffer-entiatedgermcell.

Itisnowknownthatweakelectricalcurrentsplayasignificantroleintheformationoftheembryo,andjustasinregeneration,exhibithighlyspecificformsofbe-

. Therealsoappearstobeaninterestingrelationshipbetweenregen-eration andcancer.Becker reportson theworkofMerylRose,whodemonstratedin1948thatsalamandersinfectedwithcancerousgrowthscouldbecuredbyamputatingalimbandinducingregeneration,imply-ingthatregenerationsguidancesystemcouldcontrolcancer,andun-derscoring that the state of the entire nervous system can affectcancer.

havior.8Experimentsonchickembryosshowedthatar-tificiallymanipulating the current in one part of theembryoleadstosignificantchangesinthewhole,indi-cating that theelectricfieldsprimaryfunction isnotlimited togoverninglocalcellmigrations,butrather,helping todirectdifferentiation throughout theentireembryo.ThepioneeringexperimentsofHansDrieschattheendofthe19thCenturyhadalreadyestablishedthatanindividualcellsfateisdependentonitsrelation-ship to every other cell in the developing embryo, aseemingtotaldependenceofthepartonsomepre-exist-ingwhole.AlexanderSpemannswork,notlongafter-wards, showed that the interplay between part andwholewasmorecomplex,ascertaingroupsofembry-oniccells,whichhecalledorganizers,coulddeter-minethefateofneighboringcells.

Whatmeansdocellspossesstointerprettheirposi-tionwithinthewhole,soimportantfordifferentiation?NorthwesternUniversity researcherGnterAlbrecht-Bhlerhasshownthatcellscanemitanddetectlightpulsesinthefarinfraredrange,akindofcellularsightwhichcausesdifferenttypesofcellstorespondindif-ferentwaystothesamesignal.Otherexperimentses-tablishedthatdifferentcell typesalsorespondindis-tinctive ways to an electric field. Combined withAlexanderGurwitschs1920sdiscoveryofmitogeneticradiationintheultravioletrange,abiophotoniccom-municationprocessgoverningmitosis,thereappearstobeahighlydifferentiatedelectromagneticcommunica-tionandcontrolsystemalreadyevidentintheearlieststagesofanorganismslife.

Inthesamechickembryoexperiments,different,asym-metricelectricfieldswereproducedbydifferentpartsofthedevelopingembryo.Whentheinternalfieldofone,butnottheother,wasartificiallydisrupted,apseudoem-bryo developed, possessing the correct, basic externalbodilyform,butwhoseinternaltissuewasanundifferen-tiatedmess.Ananalogoussituationoccurredinthefor-mationofpseudolimbsinexperimentsonartificialregen-eration.Inthesecases,theexternalformoftheorganismwasnotsimplytheendresultofinternaltissuedifferen-tiation, but seemed to have an independent existence,closelyrelatedtotheactionoftheelectricalfields.Again,howarethesefieldsgenerated?Andhowdotheyhelpanygivencellknowhow,orwhether,todifferentiate?

8. ColinLowry,TheElectricEmbryo:HowElectricFieldsMoldtheEmbryosGrowthPatternandShape,21st Century Science & Technol-ogy,Spring1999,pp.5-0.

In TheBiosphere, the Rrussian biogeochemist Vladimir Vernadsky wrote that living organisms are the fruit of extended, complex processes, and are an essential part of a harmonious cosmic mechanism, in which it is known that fixed laws apply and chance does not exist.


The Biological FieldThe fact that organ-

isms cangenerate uniquefieldsthatplaysuchasig-nificant role in morphol-ogy,asduringembryogen-esis and regeneration,lendsstrongsupporttothebiological field theory ofGurwitsch, who devel-opedtheideainconjunc-tion with studies of theeven weaker mitogeneticradiation detected duringcellmitosis.Whilerecog-nizingthenecessityforaninvariantlawtodescribethecoordinatedactionofindividualcellswithinthewholeorganism,hewascare-fulnottolimitthebiologicalfieldtoanypar-ticularenergeticmanifestation,but leftopenthepossibility that it couldbe expressedbyanyoftheknownphysicalfieldphenomena,oryetundiscoveredphysicalprocesses.

Howmightthedirectbioelectricalcurrentsbe a manifestation of this biological field?Beckerdrewon theworkofAlbertSzent-Gyorgyitohypothesizethatthesecurrentsop-eratedbyaprocessanalogoustosemiconduc-tioninsolid-statematerials.Thehighlyorderedinternalstructurewithinandbetweencellscouldfacili-tate themovementof freeelectrons.Gurwitschsimi-larly proposed that the primary work of metabolicenergy involved the maintenance of highly orderednon-equilibriummolecularconstellationswithintheprotoplasm-proteincomplexofcells,andthatsomeofthe mitogenetic radiation was connected with thesestructures.Thismayindicateonepossiblelinkbetweenthehighlyquantizedeffectsofmitogenetic radiation,andthedirectcurrentsystemoperatingthroughoutthewholeorganism.

UnlikeGurwitsch,otherssawinthefieldconceptawaytoreducebiologicalprocessestostrictlyphysicalones, that the only difference between the living andnon-livingistobefoundinallprobabilityinmorecom-plex fields and more complex molecular structure,9

9. H.S.Burr andF.S.C.Northrop, TheElectro-DynamicTheoryofLife,The Quarterly Review of Biology,Vol. 10,No. 3 (September1935),pp.322-333.

ratherthanintheunbridgeabledistinctionofsepa-rate,but interacting,phase-spaces. In this sense,theconceptoffielditselfhasbeenreducedtosup-posedly real particles of inorganicmatter sur-roundedbyfields,aremnantofoldmaterialisticconceptions....Asamatteroffact,insofaraspar-ticlesareknowntobefieldsandfield-structures,theyfillthevolumeofamacroscopicobjectcom-pletely,andtothisextenttheobjectisacontinuum.Itisonlyasafield-continuumthatitcoheres.10

WolfgangKhler,oneofthefoundersofge-stalt psychology, recog-nizedthattheveryconceptof discrete particles ofmatter was nothing morethan an artifact of a naveinterpretationofvision.Asa result, the precepts ofboth biology and physicswere limited by their in-

abilitytodealwiththeontologicalrealityoffunctional,self-organizing wholesthe gestalt phenomena ofhumanmentalactivity.

Inbiology,thecontroversyhascenteredaroundtheproblemofwhetherlifeprocessescanbeex-

10. WolfgangKhler,The Place of Value in a World of Facts (NewYork:Liveright,1938).

www.psychologie.hu-berlin.deThe work of Alexander Gurwitsch (top), Albert Szant-Gyorgyi (middle), and Wolfgang Khler advanced our understanding of the role of electromagnetic factors in biological life.

National Library of M

edicine


plained physio-chemically or whether vitalforcesmustbepostulated.Indeed,thepropertiesof life processes with which biology is con-cernedarenotunlikethepsychicalphenomenaresponsibleforthegestaltprobleminpsychol-ogy.Thisdoesnotmean,however,thatthevital-ists doctrine in biology recommends itself asparticularlyfruitful,for theiranswerprecludesthepossibilityofsuccessinasearchforphysicalgestalts. The biologists have of course madesomeattemptsatdiscoveringanalogiesinphys-ics,butthusfarlittlemorethanvaguecompari-sonswithcrystalformationshasbeenachieved....Theclosest approachbetweengeneralbiologyandpsychologyoccursinthetheoryofnervousfunctions, particularly in the doctrine of thephysicalbasisofconsciousness.Herewehavean immediate correspondence betweenmentalandphysicalprocesses,andthedemandseemsinescapablethatatthispointorganicfunctionsbethoughtofasparticipatinginandexhibitingessentiallygestaltcharacteristics.11

Becausethethoughtandlanguageofphysics,con-sequentlycarriedoverintobiology,hadbeenbasedonmechanisticassumptions,anewconceptualfoundationforthesescienceswouldhavetobebuiltupfromthelanguagegoverningcognitiveprocessesanapproachconsistentwithVernadskysdiscoveryofthesubsum-ingcharacteristicoftheNosphereoverboththebioticandabiotic.

According to the machine conceptions, order innaturecanonlybeimposedbycertainfixedconstraints,anecessarycorollarytotheideaattherootofthesecondlaw of statistical thermodynamics: that natural pro-cesses inherently tend towarddisorder. It is true thatwithin any given boundary conditions for a givensystem,thereisadefinitetendencytowardanequilib-riumstatedescribablebythesecondlaw.However,theprincipleofdirectioninthatsystemcanalsobeattrib-utedtostrictlyphysical(whatMaxPlanckcalleddy-namical),ratherthanstatistical,principles,suchasthesystems tendency to reduce its total potential.12The

11. Wolfgang Khler, Physical Gestalten, fromWillis D. Ellis,A Source Book of Gestalt Psychology (London: Kegan Paul, Trench,TrubnerandCo,1938).12. Khler,OntheProblemofRegulation,fromMaryHenle,The Selected Papers of Wolgang Khler(NewYork:Liveright,191).

machineconceptionfailsevenasabeginningpointinreasoning.Withincertainboundaryconditions,whichthemselvescannotbedefinedbythesecondlaw,eveninorganic systems have the capacity for regulationpurelythroughtheinteractionofthephysicalforcesin-herentinthesystem.

Thearrayofthesephysicalforcesactiveinbiologi-cal processes is not a subset of, but rather subsumesthose found in inorganic systems, and appears to in-cludenotonlychemicalandelectrodynamicphenom-ena, but everything from laser-like biophoton emis-sions,tonucleartransmutationandsuperconductivity,processes whose abiotic expression may representmerely limiting conditions of theirmore universalmanifestationinlife.Theseprocessesacttoreshapethetopological boundary conditions represented by anygivenphysicalstateofanorganism,asinthecaseoftheelectricfieldsgoverninglimbregeneration.

Inamachine,thedistinctionbetweenprocessandstructure isunambiguous; forexample,hotgasesareconducted through the rigid chamber walls of a carengine.Inanorganism,theenergeticflowrequiredformetabolismliterallybuilds,andconstantlymaintains,thestructureoftheorganism.Moreover,thisenergeticflowispartofacontinuousprocessextendingfromter-restrial,tosolar,tocosmicspace,posingthequestion:Arethereanystrictlyinorganicsystemsforwhichthesecondlawhasuniversalsignificance?

Leaving the WombThe existence of continual, periodically varying,

andinterpenetratingelectromagneticfieldsformsanin-visiblepartoftheterrestrialenvironmentthatisasrealastheoceans,mountains,andatmosphere,thoughwemay forget about such radiations in the sameway adeep-seafishforgetsaboutwater.Sourcesofthisradia-tion include the Earthsmagnetic and electric fields,eachofwhichexhibitsdiurnalandperiodicvariationsinconjunctionwiththeactivityoftheSun,aswellaslargerastronomicalcycles;naturalchangesintheatmo-sphere,suchasthunderstorms;cosmicbackgroundra-diationsuchasradioandgammarays;andman-madesources.

Inmanyways, the evolution of life onEarth hasbeenboundupwith theevolutionof theelectromag-neticfieldsoftheplanet,asthroughthecreationoftheatmospherebywhichtheelectricfieldsoftheplanetaremaintained,orthemoreextremecaseofmagneticfieldreversals,whosecause remainsamystery,butwhich


havehistoricallycoincidedwithmassextinctions.Moreinterestingisthepossibilitythatthemagneticfielditselfiseitheraproductof,oratleastconditionedinsomewaybytheactionoflivingprocesses,possiblythroughthemotionofconductingcurrentsintheoceans.13

Avastbodyofexperimentalworkhasdocumentedwidely varying influences of environmental electro-magneticfieldsonthebehaviorandinternalvitalactiv-ityoforganisms,includingalltheknownplant,animal,andhumanbiorhythms.Suchfieldsactinconjunctionwiththoseproducedbytheorganismitself.However,theverybroadmeasurableparametersofelectromag-netic radiation, including its frequency spectrumandmodulation,intensity,andorientation,andthefactthatorganismscanbe sensitive to extremely slightvaria-tionsinanyoneofthese,makethecorrelationofspe-cificeffectswithspecificformsandqualitiesofradia-tiondifficulttodetermine.Addtothat,thecorpuscularcosmicraysandtheirsecondaryatmosphericby-prod-ucts,andthepotentialfunctionalrelationshipsofvari-ous radiations and life appear almost infinitely com-plex.

Ultimately,determiningthespecificformsofreso-nancebetweenorganismsandtheenergeticphenom-enaoftheirenvironmentwilldependonlearningmoreaboutthewayorganismsexhibitsuchhighdegreesofselectivity,oneoftheclearestexpressionsoftheuniquephysical space-time of living matter.At the nuclear

13. GregoryRyskin,SecularvariationsoftheEarthsmagneticfield:inducedbytheoceanflow? New Journal of Physics,June2009.

scale,thisincludesnotonlywhatspecificchemicalele-mentsanorganismwillutilize,butalsowhichisotopes.Atthemolecularscale,thisincludesnotonlytheele-mentalandisotopiccompositionofmolecules,butalsotheirstructure,discoveredbyLouisPasteur,asthepres-enceofaprincipleofdissymmetry,reflectedintheabil-ityofleft-orright-handedmoleculestorotatepolarizedlight(electromagneticradiation).14

Bioenergeticphenomena,ingeneral,shouldbecon-sideredinlightofPasteursandPierreCuriesworkonthe principle of dissymmetry, which Vernadsky be-lievedwasoneofthemostimportantavenuesforscien-tificexplorationintothephysicalspace-timemanifes-tationofdirectionalityinlivingprocesses.

Ingeneral,thecyclicalcharacteroftherelationshipoforganismstoenergeticphenomenamustreflectthatof organisms tomatter: They are utilized and trans-formedbytheorganismaspartofthecontinualprocessofthebiogenicmigrationofmatter-energythroughtheBiosphere,initsevolutiontohigherstatesofdevelop-ment.Definingthisselectivitywithrespecttoelectro-magnetic radiationmay help to actually redefine theelectromagnetic spectrum itself, with which Livingsystemsmaybeplayinganunimaginablyhugeconcert...creatingacompletelynewcategoryofphenomena

14. Arecentexperimentdetectedasimilareffectforabeamofelec-trons,withinterestingimplicationsforourdiscussionhere.SeeChiralAsymmetry:TheQuantumPhysicsofHandedenss,inMarkP.Silver-man,Quantum Superposition: Counterintuitve Consequences Coher-ence, Entanglement, and Interference(Berlin:Springer,2008).

Interplanetary travel requires that we learn to see the invisible part of the terrestrial environment, which is as real as the oceans, mountains, and atmosphere. Shown: an artists conception of an astronaut, in a special spacesuit, working on the Moon.

Mark Dowman & Mike Stovall; Eagle Engineering, Inc.


outsideclassicalelectrodynamics.15Perhapswewont fully appreciate the subtle, but

crucial, nature of our dependence on an appropriateelectromagneticdiet,untilweareforcedtocreateitourselvesfromscratchbeginningwiththefirstlunarbases,andthen,enroutetoandonthesurfaceofMars.

Oneexample,relatedtotheoverallbioelectromag-neticcontrolsystemfirstrevealedbyregeneration,suf-ficestodemonstratethatfrontierresearchinspaceisnoluxury,butrather,anabsolutenecessity.

Bonelossinastronautsinspacehaslongbeenrec-ognizedasamajorproblem,anditisonethatappearsclosely related to osteoporosis on Earth (Figure 5).However,itcannotbefullyaccountedforbytheme-chanicalunloadingofbonestressduetomicrograv-ity,andundoubtedlyinvolvesanelectromagneticcom-ponent.Beckerproposedonepossiblemeansbywhichbonesmightrespondtoexternalelectromagneticfieldsinspace.

Bonesareabletoreshapethemselvesaccordingtomechanicalstress,creatingmoregrowthinareasthatbeargreatercompressionloads,andcompensatingbyeliminatingbonematerialinotherareas.Thisself-regu-latingsystemofgrowthandlossisgovernedbyelectri-calsignals,andthepiezoelectricpropertyofbonemay

15. Fritz-AlbertPopp,ElectromagnetismandLivingSystems,fromMaeWan-Ho,Fritz-AlbertPopp,UlrichWarnke,Bioelectrodynamics and Biocommunication(Singapore:WorldScientific,1994).

allowittogeneratethenecessaryelectricalcur-rents bymechanical stress.Humanbone is anintricatestructurecomposedofamatrixthatin-cludes tiny apatite minerals of calcium phos-phate bound to interwoven collagen fibers, aswellastraceelementslikecopper.Beckerfoundthatthetraceatomsofcoppermightactasakindofelectromagneticpeg,holdingthecollagenand apatite together,which could be loosenedthroughadisruptionofthebodysinternalelec-tricfields.

Spaceosteoporosismayresultfromunnaturalcurrents induced in bone by a spacecraftsrapid motion through the Earths magneticfield,withapolarityreversaleveryhalforbit,or,itmaybeadirecteffectofthefieldrever-sal.Thisabnormality,whichmaychangetheactivityofbonecellsdirectly,wouldbesuper-imposedonabnormalresponsesofbonesnat-

uralelectricalsystem,whichisalmostcertainlyaffectedbyweightlessness.Theunfamiliarexter-nalfieldreversalscouldalsoweakenthecopperpegs,atthesametimethatthebonesareinacon-stantstateofreboundfromtheirEarthlyweight-inducedpotentials,producingasignalthatsays,Noweight,nobonesneeded.Weknowthatthemoreevendistributionofbloodcausedbyweight-lessnessregistersintheheartasanexcess;asaresult,fluidandions,includingcalcium,arewith-drawnfromtheblood.However,theeffectprob-ably isnt due to weightlessness alone, for theSkylab astronauts did rigorous exercise, whichwould have supplied plentiful stresses to theirbones.Theyworkedoutsohardthattheirmusclesgrew,butdecalcificationstillreached.8percentonthetwelve-weekmission.1

Suchpossibleeffects,whichpointtothemoregen-eral electromagnetic properties of biological regula-tion,canonlybetestedbyexperimentingwithartificialelectromagneticfieldsonastronauts inorbit. Inaddi-tion,current spacebiomedical research indicates thatbone fracture healing is impeded in reduced gravityconditions. The relationship of ionizing radiation,whichismoreabundantoutsidetheprotectionofEarthsmagneticfield,totherateofbothfracturehealingand

1. Becker,op.cit.

National Cancer Institute SEER programBone loss in astronauts in space has long been recognized as a major problem; the relationship of ionizing radiation, which is more abundant outside the protection of Earths magnetic field, to the rate of both fracture healing and bone loss in reduced gravity environments is being studied, although primarily in Earth-bound laboratory conditions.

FIGURE 5


bone loss in reduced gravity environments is beingstudiedaswell,thoughprimarilyinEarth-boundlabo-ratoryconditions.

Again,theserelationshipscanonlyproperlybein-vestigatedoutsideofthepervasiveelectromagneticandgravitationalfieldsoftheEarth.Farbeyondthespecificeffectsonboneandotherorganictissue,suchstudiescouldleadtoanewunderstandingofthebroaderrela-tionshipbetweenionizingradiation,electromagnetism,andgravitation.

Indeed, radioactivedecay itself, apropertyof theinnerstructureofatomsoncethoughtimmutable,andasourceofionizingradiation,hasbeenshowninsomecasestocorrelatewithastrophysicalcycles.1Thisfur-ther underscores that the fundamental properties ofeveninorganicmattercannotbestudiedastheisolatedphenomenaofparticlephysics,andcallstomindVer-nadskysemphasisontheroleofcosmicprocessesinshapingtheinherentcharacterofallmatter.Hereliesthetruevalueofascience-driverprogramforspaceex-ploration,inforcingthecombinationoffusionandnu-clearresearch,withastrophysics,biology,andphysicalchemistry,toallowseeminglyparadoxicalobservationstobecomparedandanalyzedacrossawide rangeofexperimentaldomains.Thisbecomescrucialaswecon-fronttheprospectofsupportinghumanlifeoutsidethewomboftheEarth.

A New CausalityInasense,wearefacedtodaywiththesamecom-

plex of paradoxes that arose with the simultaneousemergenceofatomicscience,relativity,andquantumphysics,inthefirstdecadesofthe20thCentury.Seem-inglycontinuousprocesses,suchasenergeticphenom-ena,appearedtobeorganizedintheverysmallasdis-creteprocesses.Likewise,discretephenomena,suchasmatter,couldberepresentedbycontinuousprocesses.

MaxPlanckandAlbertEinsteincalledforthedevel-opmentofanewconceptofcausality,ratherthanthestatistical indeterminacy imposed by the quantummechanists. In this respect, it is worth recalling thewords of Plancks studentKhler, that Max Planckoncetoldmethatheexpectedourapproach[ingestaltpsychology]toclarifyadifficultissuewhichhadjust

1. JereH.Jenkins,EphraimFischbach,etal.,EvidenceforCorrela-tionsBetweenNuclearDecayRatesandEarth-SunDistance,Astropar-ticle Physics,Vol.32,No.1,August2009.http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0808/0808.3283v1.pdf

arisen in quantum physics if not the concept of thequantumitself.18

Vernadsky,atthesametime,recognizedthat,forthetruthsofsciencetobeuniversal,thestandpointofthenaturalisthadtobeadopted,inordertostudythefullscopeofphysicalphenomenaandtheirexpressioninallthree universal experimental domains of the abiotic,biotic,andnoetic.

Thebasisforthisnewscienceofdynamics,asLa-Rouchehascalledit,willrestonamobilizationofthescientificandeconomicmeansnecessarytosecureaninterplanetaryfutureformankind,includingafullmas-teryoftheentireelectromagneticspectrumanditsusetosustainhumanlifethroughouttheSolarSystem.Thisapproachwilldefinethemeaningofscienceforthenextcentury,ifwehavethewisdomtoletthatknowledgeguideouractionsinthepresent.

The author can be reached at [email protected].

For additional references: http://larouchepac.com/node/14423

18. Wolfgang Khler, Gestalt Psychology Today, Address of thePresidentatthesixty-seventhAnnualConventionoftheAmericanPsy-chologicalAssociation,Cincinnati,Ohio,Sept.,1959.http://psych-classics.asu.edu/Kohler/today.htm#1

Max Planck and Albert Einstein called for the development of a new concept of causality, rather than the statistical indeterminacy imposed by the quantum mechanists. Here, Planck presents Albert Einstein with the Max-Planck medal, Berlin, June 28, 1929

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