Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9 Table 8 NORMALIZED MUTATION RATES x 107° (Subject 997) Remote Action (RA) Remote Action (RA) Remote Action (RA) Mean t (Low < No) -0.248 nis. t (No < High) -0.857 nus. t (Low < High) = -1.319 nis. Statistics * Aim Intuitive Data Sorting (IDS) Intuitive Data Sorting (IDS) Intuitive Data Sorting (IDS) Mean t (Low < No) Statistics * t (No < High) t (Low < High) * Degrees of freedom = 16. 34 Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9
* Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9 V SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE STUDIES In this section we provide a discussion of the difficulties that were encountered in the course of completing this experiment, and the suggested protocol modifications for follow-on experiments. A. The Role of Feedback The role of feedback to the subject regarding his/her performance is generally believed to be essential for optimizing the performance of psychoenergetic tasks. In the vast majority of experiments performed at SRI, feedback is administered promptly, and is typically visual in nature. In remote viewing experiments, for example, feedback usually consists of a pictorial representation of the target site in question, which is presented to the subject immediately at the conclusion of the trial. In random number generator (RNG) experiments, feedback has typically taken the form of an “on-line” random walk video display, repre- senting the output of either a radioactive source or a noise diode. Because of the time factors inherently involved in growing and plating the bacterial cultures, feedback to the subject in this experiment was minimally delayed by a period of 48 hours. In many cases, the delay was considerably longer than this because of scheduling difficulties involving the subjects or the technician. It may not be possible to circumvent this feedback-delay problem when using bacteriological systems, but in the absence of definitive knowledge concerning the necessity for feedback, it should be recognized that delayed feedback may inhibit psychoenergetic performance. At the very least, feedback should probably be provided to the subject at fixed, rather than at variable intervals, so that the expectation of feedback can be fulfilled on a known and constant schedule. The type of feedback that is administered should also be subject to careful consideration. As mentioned above, Figure 3 (Section III.3) is an example of the feedback sheet that was used for this experiment. To indicate the subject’s result graphically, the boxes on the three test-tube icons corresponding to the three highest mutation rates were colored green, and the three boxes corresponding to the three lowest mutation rates were colored red. 35 Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9
wo Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9 This form may prove to be too abstract to provide good feedback; other modes might be considered, that would better concretize the experience for the subject. For example, in future experiments, the subject might be shown iconic representations of agar plates: many spots on these “plates” would correspond to many bacterial colonies and hence a high mutation rate; few spots would represent the inverse situation. Or, perhaps the subject could be shown the actual plates with their bacterial cultures--if there is enough pertinent feedback information to be gleaned from such an experience. B. Screening Criteria and Presentation of Psychoenergetic Task For the experiment detailed in this document, subjects were chosen primarily on the basis of general availability, and on an expressed interest in psychoenergetic research. Because the SRI program has recently implemented the Psychological Assessment System (PAS) in conjunction with other psychoenergetic projects (e.g., remote viewing enhancement), it is suggested that this system be used to select subjects for follow-on biological experiments. Thus, the individuals who participated in the study described here could be psychologically profiled according to the PAS, and the profiles of those who performed successfully could be used as prescriptive templates for selecting new participants for future experiments. Subject 310, for example, demonstrated significant ability in sorting test tubes according to the IDS hypothesis; it is suggested that his PAS profile be used, in part, to select subjects for future psychoenergetic experiments involving biological systems, Another variable that should be considered in subject selection involves the degree to which they possess an a priori understanding of the actual biological “mechanics” of bac- teriological systems. None of the subjects selected for the study presented here were biologists per sé, nor were they particularly familiar with microbial genetics: it seemed, therefore, some- what difficult at times to impart to the subject an understanding of the causes of biological mutations and how such mutations might be created psychoenergetically. In future studies it might be instructive, to explore the degree to which comprehensive knowledge concerning the biological aspects of the experiment promotes or inhibits successful performance of the psychoenergetic task. 36 Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9
Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9 on Biological Protocols For any given trial, the technician should randomize the nine innoculated test tubes prior to placing them in the rack. This will ensure that ordering effects caused by sequential pipetteing will not be evidenced in the IDSU or RA condition. D. Future Experiments with Other Biological Systems It is difficult to interpret the absence of a detectable RA effect in the experiment reported in this document. One possible interpretation is that the Salmonella typhimurium are simply one kind of biological system that is not susceptible to psychoenergetic influence. Given that this hypothesis is verified in further experiments with Salmonella, a future approach would be to examine RA in relation to other biological systems. 1. Single-Cell Systems Examples of other single-cell biological systems that could be used to study RA are listed below: © Bacterial Chemotaxis--The extent of reversion of nonmotile mutant bacteria to ability to move towards a gradient of a chemical attractant would be measured. Microscopic examination of the cells could be used to monitor the reversion. Time-lapsed photography could also be used to obtain a permanent record of the observations made during the experiment. ® Selection of UV (ultraviolet light) Sensitive Bacterial Mutants--RA-— treated cell cultures would be allowed to grow to stationary phase, at which time their UV sensitivity would be determined by performing UV survival experiments. a @ Mammalian Cell Transformation--Cultured cancerous cells are not contact inhibited; they grow in an irregular, randomly-oriented fashion in culture dishes. This is in contrast to cultured healthy normal cells, which are contact inhibited, and which form a monolayer in a neatly oriented fashion. When mouse C3H 10T-1/2 cells are cultured, some cells will spontaneously transform into cancerous cells. The transformation event can be increased by exposing the cells to physical or chemical agents. The extent of transformation is measured by determining how many transformed cells gave rise to visible foci that consist of randomly-oriented cells growing in multilayers, which appear as a very dense area (1-to-2-mm diameter). ‘@ §=6Yeast Aneuploidy~—Malsegregation of chromosomes occurs spontaneously, or is induced by exposure of cells to physical or chemical agents. There are 37 Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9
mason senmemseeaA LR * ner Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9 a number of aneuploidy systems that would lend themselves to the effect of RA on aneuploidy. Thé advantage of using yeast organisms is their ease of handling, and the relatively short turnaround time (about one week) in obtaining results. ® Molecular Biology and Mutation Induction——At the molecular level, a study could be made of the effect of RA on mutation induction by either analyzing DNA sequences in bacterial/mammalian cells or by analyzing the amino acid sequence in proteins. This approach might prove to be a more efficient way of obtaining results in terms of time and labor, compared with the more conventional mutagenesis assays that rely on the phenotypic expression of the mutation. In the not too distant future, it might well be possible to also study the effect of RA on oncogene activation in. cultured mammalian cells. 2. Multicell Systems In practical terms, the common fruit fly known as Drosophila melanogaster is most likely the only multicell system that could be used to study RA. The end point of such experiments would probably be changes in the eye color, which would reflect specific chromosomal mutations. These are just a few representative examples of other types of biological systems that could be used in future RA/IDS experiments. Because many insights into protocol improvements have been obtained from our pilot experiment, it is our recommen- dation that the suggested methodological changes be incorporated into a formal replication study using Salmonella, again, as the target system, before experiments are undertaken with other biological systems for which the psychoenergetic protocols are not as well understood. 38 Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800290001-9