AT the conclusion of his elaborate study of “Spirits of the Corn” Prof. Frazer observes that “while the fine flower of the religious consciousness in myth, ritual, and art is fleeting and evanescent, its simpler forms are comparatively stable and permanent, being rooted deep in those principles of common minds which bid fair to outlive all the splendid but transient creations of genius. It may be that... simple folk will still cherish the simple faiths of their nameless and dateless forefathers....” In his feeling for the system he has studied so long and so minutely, the Darwin, of religion resembles Ernest Renan, who came to regard affectionately the Christian and Pauline subjects of his analysis. The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion. Prof. J. G. Frazer. Third edition. Part v.: Spirits of the Corn and of the Wild. In 2 vols. Vol. i., pp. xvii + 319. Vol. ii., pp. xii + 371. (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1912.) Price, 2 vols., 20s. net.

The Golden Bough: a Study in Magic and Religion

The Basic Works Of Aristotle

Some studies show how exposure to fields can enhance or reduce cell activity, with possible applicative consequences in the field of biotechnology, including biological techniques for depollution. In order to identify full-scale conditions that are suitable and potentially applicable for use in electromagnetic fields to stimulate and accelerate bioremediation processes, this paper offers an examination of the scientific literature that is available on the effects of fields on microorganisms, and a critical analysis of it. The biological effects at times contrast with each other.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11157-018-09491-9.pdf

The effects of electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields on microorganisms in the perspective of bioremediation

Two notable criticisms have been recently raised against research on retroactive influences (RIs). First, researchers have rarely tested the measurement properties of their methods to gauge RIs, and it is still relatively unknown whether any commonly used method is adequate for gauging RIs. Second, RI research needs more close replications in addition to conceptual replications, in which all aspects of the original study are reproduced. The current article investigates both of these criticisms. The current article explores the convergent validity and nomological network of two methods to measure RIs, and it also provides three studies to test these effects: an initial investigation, a close replication, and a conceptual replication. The relationship of the two methods did not meet even minimal requirements for convergent validity in all three studies, failing to provide support for their ability to measure RIs. The overall sample-size weighted correlation was .03 (ŕ , 95% CI [−.07, .12]). Also, the two measures did not share any significant relationships with any other variables, suggesting that they do not share a common nomological net. Together, the current article emphasizes the need for future research to further test the measurement of RIs, as researchers of RI cannot convincingly claim that their results are valid without first supporting their measurement methods. The current article also highlights the importance of valid measurement across all domains of psychology and beyond. Additional implications and directions for future research are discussed.

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/cns/5/3/324.pdf

The convergent validity and nomological net of two methods to measure retroactive influences.

The conception and the determination of brain death continue to raise scientific, legal, philosophical, and religious controversies. While both the President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research in 1981 and the President’s Council on Bioethics in 2008 committed to a biological definition of death as the basis for the whole-brain death criteria, contemporary neuroscientific findings augment the concerns about the validity of this biological definition. Neuroscientific evidentiary findings, however, have not yet permeated discussions about brain death. These findings have critical relevance (scientifically, medically, legally, morally, and religiously) because they indicate that some core assumptions about brain death are demonstrably incorrect, while others lack sufficient evidential support. If behavioral unresponsiveness does not equate to unconsciousness, then the philosophical underpinning of the definition based on loss of capacity for consciousness as well as the criteria, and tests in brain death determination are incongruent with empirical evidence. Thus, the primary claim that brain death equates to biological death has then been de facto falsified. This conclusion has profound philosophical, religious, and legal implications that should compel respective authorities to (1) reassess the philosophical rationale for the definition of death, (2) initiate a critical reappraisal of the presumed alignment of brain death with the theological definition of death in Abrahamic faith traditions, and (3) enact new legislation ratifying religious exemption to death determination by neurologic criteria.

/pdf/neuroscience-and-brain-death-controversies-the-elephant-in-znrltjcegk.pdf

Neuroscience and Brain Death Controversies: The Elephant in the Room.

Bacterial growth rates are influenced by cellular characteristics of individual species when immersed in electromagnetic fields

There have been multiple historical and cross-cultural reports of excess correlation of specific experiences between individuals separated by thousands of kilometers. Recently there have been experimental demonstrations of excess correlations between measurable cerebral events for small percentages of test subjects. More reliable effects can be elicited when electromagnetic fields and photons are involved. In this experiment completed during the summer of 2015, 5 pairs of volunteers separated by more than 6,000 km wore identical cerebral toroids through which patterns of phase shifting, 30 nT magnetic fields that diminished the local magnetic field in both loci by 1-5 nT were exposed to the sequences that produced excess correlation in chemiluminescent reactions and shifts in pH. Compared to the various baselines and control procedures enhanced power between the right hemispheres of pairs of participants occurred during the interval documented to produce excess correlation. Specific analyses indicated diminished coherence within the theta band only within the right temporal lobes of the pairs. Sequential block analyses revealed that the paired brains’ responses to pulsed tones at 6.5 Hz occurred within the 30-40 Hz band over the caudal temporal lobes during the exposures to the effector field. Primary independent component analyses verified these patterns. During the 6.5 Hz tones there was a peak in the spectral power density (SPD) at that frequency over the right temporal lobe of the person listening but a trough in (SPD) over this region for the person who was not. Even subjective experiences, as measured by the Profile of Mood States (POMS), indicated significantly increased excess correlation for scales by which increased anger and decreased vigour are inferred. This experiment, based upon physical principles, suggests there is a technology that can generate reliable excess correlation of brain activity (and potentially consciousness and specific experiences) between two people separated by thousands of kilometers. Part I of this two-part article includes: 1. Introduction; 2. Method; 3. Equipment; and 4. Results and Discussion.

/pdf/experimental-production-of-excess-correlation-across-the-51pnd6a7ec.pdf

Experimental Production of Excess Correlation across the Atlantic Ocean of Right Hemispheric Theta-Gamma Power between Subject Pairs Sharing Circumcerebral Rotating Magnetic Fields (Part I)

Planarian (Dugesia tigrinia) were exposed to a frequency-modulated (“Thomas”), patterned electromagnetic field (EMF) immediately following transection through the pharynx. Subjects were exposed from 15 min to 3 h as well as single versus repeated exposures. Results from multiple experiments indicated that those planaria exposed from 45 to 90 min regenerated at significantly higher rates than those exposed less than 45 min. In addition, the study revealed that exposures greater than 45 min were not significantly different beyond this inflection point. We suggest that this particular pattern of EMF is capable of inducing biochemical pathways associated with cell proliferation, in particular the p38-MAPK and hsp70 pathways. Bioelectromagnetics 34:613–617, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Optimal durations of single exposures to a frequency-modulated magnetic field immediately after bisection in planarian predict final growth values.

The structure of the post-mortem human brain can be preserved by immersing the organ within a fixative solution. Once the brain is perfused, cellular and histological features are maintained over extended periods of time. However, functions of the human brain are not assumed to be preserved beyond death and subsequent chemical fixation. Here we present a series of experiments which, together, refute this assumption. Instead, we suggest that chemical preservation of brain structure results in some retained functional capacity. Patterns similar to the living condition were elicited by chemical and electrical probes within coronal and sagittal sections of human temporal lobe structures that had been maintained in ethanol-formalin-acetic acid. This was inferred by a reliable modulation of frequency-dependent microvolt fluctuations. These weak microvolt fluctuations were enhanced by receptor-specific agonists and their precursors (i.e., nicotine, 5-HTP, and L-glutamic acid) as well as attenuated by receptor-antagonists (i.e., ketamine). Surface injections of 10 nM nicotine enhanced theta power within the right parahippocampal gyrus without any effect upon the ipsilateral hippocampus. Glutamate-induced high-frequency power densities within the left parahippocampal gyrus were correlated with increased photon counts over the surface of the tissue. Heschl’s gyrus, a transverse convexity on which the primary auditory cortex is tonotopically represented, retained frequency-discrimination capacities in response to sweeps of weak (2μV) square-wave electrical pulses between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. Together, these results suggest that portions of the post-mortem human brain may retain latent capacities to respond with potential life-like and virtual properties.

When Is the Brain Dead? Living-Like Electrophysiological Responses and Photon Emissions from Applications of Neurotransmitters in Fixed Post-Mortem Human Brains.

A new generation of researchers have begun to contribute to the emerging transdisciplinary endeavours of paranthropology. This intriguing area of research unifies methodologies and theoretical perspectives of both parapsychology and anthropology to enhance understanding of anomalous phenomena related to consciousness. Furthermore, by employing a paranthropological perspective, a number of cross-cultural convergences between disciplines are revealed. We begin by summarizing a number of major paradigms typically observed in classic parapsychology, followed by a brief historical overview of the development of paranthropology and its implications for subsequent research. Finally, phenomenological convergences between parapsychology and anthropology are discussed, before a final summary of general conclusions are entertained.

/pdf/article-phenomenological-convergence-between-major-paradigms-4tcjsqos17.pdf

Lucas W.E. Tessaro

Papers

Bacterial growth rates are influenced by cellular characteristics of individual species when immersed in electromagnetic fields

Experimental Production of Excess Correlation across the Atlantic Ocean of Right Hemispheric Theta-Gamma Power between Subject Pairs Sharing Circumcerebral Rotating Magnetic Fields (Part I)

Optimal durations of single exposures to a frequency-modulated magnetic field immediately after bisection in planarian predict final growth values.

When Is the Brain Dead? Living-Like Electrophysiological Responses and Photon Emissions from Applications of Neurotransmitters in Fixed Post-Mortem Human Brains.

Article Phenomenological Convergence between Major Paradigms of Classic Parapsychology and Cross-Cultural Practices: An Exploration of Paranthropology