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THE BACKSTER EFFECT

Mr. Cleve Backster has, sincc l966 (1-4), presented to the ley and scientifie couununity claims that e large variety of living materisls (primatily plants, but also inciuding hen's eggs, peramecium, amoeba, mold cultures, scrapings from the roof of a human couth, and yesst) will produce characteristie electrical signals when connected to s polygraph machine. The eignals obtained, in Mr. Backster'e opinion, closely resemble the outputs seen when human beings uandergo lie detestor tests. That such sigaels are tndeed produced is not surprising. What 1s unexpected is Mr. Backster's contentlon that they reeult from the perception capabilities of the materials.

Tha processes of life sre such that in living eystema a large variety of condicions exist vhich give rise to electrical chargs separations with atcendant electrical potentials. These potentials ate interconnected by the salt containing fluids of living systems which in turn are contained in materials baving diversified electrical propertfes. The resule is an extremely coaplicated electrical circuit consisting of a multiplicity of parallel and series connected potentials, reststances, capacitancee, and reactances. Thus, if current floy in such s system is monitored by connecting it to a peycho-integroammeter (lie detector) one should not bu surprised to see a large variety of currant changes many of which will resemble typical polysraph outputs. A multitude of seemingly insigaificant events can conceivably change the impedance of such a circuit through their Influence on the resistance, capacitance, reactance or potential generating charecteriatice of the system. Por exemple, a change in tha poeition or strength of any nearby electrical or magnetic field can induce a voltage in s critical part of the circuit which will result Ln a large change in the current flow as read by the attached ammeter. Such changes can be broughe about by the zere repoaitioning of the observer's body or motion of his limbs. Likewise, small changes in the chemical makeup of the eyatem due to such shings as adsorption of odors or water vapor can appreclably change the resistance or capacitance of the system which will change tha matching characteristics

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betwecn the zeadout anmeter and the circuit giving rise to impedance mis» matches and a consequent change in readout. In sddition, the interiel environment of a living systom is constantly undergoing change due to cell division, elongation, and maturation. These changes may also alter the inpedance and voltage generating characteristics of the living system and result ia a variety of changes in the current readout.

Figure 1 shows some voltage changes which heve beea induced at & distance of 1 meter 1n a human hair (stretched between two platimu electrodes and made to be semiconducting by coating it with glycerol and a liquid soap) by a vibrating barium titanate cryetal. It is evident that the vibrating cryetal Induces  volcage in the hair preparation which is related to the first derivative of che frequency of the vibration and therefore, ie is probably a reflection of the change in the electrie field at the barium titanate crystal. Since the hair preparation is derived entirely from materials found in living systems and its structure is due largely to the hair (a former living material) it is reasonable to expect that this preparation has an equivalent electrical circuit which resembles, in many ways, that found in living tisaues. Thus, if voltage changes can be induced in this preparation, there is reason to expect that they can also be induced in living systems.

There seems to be no reason to doubt Hr. Backster'a observations of polygraph readouts from a variety of living materials. Ou tha other hand, his explanation for chesa observations warrant some coments. Many of the experlments which Mr. Backater has conducted appear to lack adequate controls and almost all of his explanationa or ixplied explanations for the results are st best iupulsive. He concludes that his readouts are the reeult of single cell activities and, therefore, poseessed by all living systems. However, his experiments are often designed to show a one to one correspondence between a polygraph readout and a specific event which is really only one example of a constantly occurring phenomenon. For example, in order to ahow that plants are sensitive co the death of other oxganisms, even at a distance, he duops brine shriap into bolling water and observes the polygraph responses of plants

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Iocated in another room, But if, as he purports, this experiment shows that plants are sonsitive to the death of other organisms, why are the plants atuned only to thc death of these particular organisms? Certainly, there are millions of mnicroorganisms dying in the same room with the plarits and udoubtedly a number of household pests such as ants, flies, and the like are also dying in various parts of the house not to mention the variety of fresh vegetables and meats being prepared in the neighborhood kitchens, Likewise, teleological itr. Backoter has a marked tendency co look for Uidignti explanations for his work. He always relates his polysraph patterns to psychic or physical phanomena seen in human beirgs; i.e., emotional stimulation, "fainting". heartbeat, nervousness, even prayer. This 1s a basic error which can mask and distort the possibility that the observed phenomena can be used for useful and perhaps unique purposes. It is not necessary to resort to explanations which transcend the physical laws we know now. An approach which seeks to 1nterpret the results within the framework of known phenomena will be far more usefui. Consider the possibility that the house plant, for example, acts oot only as a biased electrical circuit, but also functions as a high Lapedance antenna. Such s system can be disturbed by changes in small electrical fields, perhaps even of the magnitude produced by brain waves and blood circulation. After all devices are available that can detect at a distance magnetic fields generated by blood circulatiou and brain waves (5-6). Also, the surface area of a plant is quite large and well adapted to gas exchange reaccions so that trace amounts of chemicals emitted from anirials can be absorbed.by the plant and lead to pronounced changes In plants and their electrical circuitry. For example, plants change their metabolism and undergo leaf epinasty in response to a concentration of ethylene of as Iittle as O.002 uicroliters per liter of air (7-8). The events triggered by conscious or unconscious nervous reactions (odor emission, increase in heart rate, change in brain wave pattern, etc.) on the part of an observer, which go undetected by him, could conceivably cause changes in delicately balanced electrical circuits iacluding those existing in living systems. Under these circunstances, the electrical readout from an fnstrumented plant could chengé in response

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to the emotional or physical state of an observer. However, the response would in no vay be a case of the plant reading the individual's mind. Rather, it would be due to changes in che plants environment brought about by the observer and resulting Ln a change in the electrical characteristics of a delicately balanced systeu.

The possibillty that very subtle changes in the environment aiter the electrical properties of plant tissyes 1s not unreaaonable. Such changes are everyday pheromena in animal sensory organs and the structures and electrical status of plant cells have many features in comon wich neryous tissue, The most esscntiil difference may actually be in the organization cf the cells. In the animal, the cells are arranged to provide quick reaction times, centralized Informacion depository and specialized information sorting together with Feedback and compensatory reactione. In che plant, on the other hand, the cetls are uoe organized in this manner and although their eleccrical propertiaa may change with the.environment, the phenomenon is of ltmited use to the plant. Bovever, if man monicors these electrical changes, he may be able to correlate them with subtle changes in environmencal factors which are of intozest to hio much in the same way that the receptor potencials of various nervoue tissjes (visual, olfactory, tactile, etc.) caa te used to supply iaformation on, for example, odor concentration, light intensicy, and pressure.

It is suggested chat a program be caxried out to lavestigata the possibility that changes in the electrical properties of plants ara induced by subtle changes in the environment. Mechodologies which are sinilar to those now used to explsre receptor potentiois in nervous tiasues cc ild be employed and the characteristics of any signals observed correlates with such things as trace amounts of adors introduced into the environment or ninuce changes in electrical and magnetic fields.

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FIGuRe 1. Response of Human,Hair Coated with Liquid Potassium Soap and Doped ith Octanol.

In each case, trace A is the tesponse fros the hair and trace B is a record of the signal driving the barium titanate transducer. The numbers.indicate the frequency of the driving signal. Traces A and B were made stmultanecusly with a dual becr oscilloscope.

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REFERENCES

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