Approved For Release 2000/^8/10
: CIA-RDP96-00789R003800280j)01-0
(U)
the seven had been participants in previous psychoenergetic experiments—i.e.,
all four had
demonstrated some
ability in remote viewing.
One of these four subjects also scored
significantly in an earlier SRI random number generator PK experiment, and another had
demonstrated some
ability previously in Computer-Assisted Search (CAS)
tasks.
All of the
participants were SRI employees: one was a statistician, two were secretaries, and the
remainder were research professionals in either physics or computer science.
b.
(U)
Experiment Site Locations
j
j For reasons stated in Section C.2.a,
it was determined that the
biological technician should be kept entirely blind as to
all facets of the experiment, and that,
in order to
facilitate
this situation, the psychoenergetic testing should occur in a location that
was different from the one used for the biological preparations.
The Microbial Genetics
Laboratory, therefore, was used for
all aspects of preparation of the biological cultures, and a
room in another building at SRI was used
for the psychoenergetic sessions.
c.
(U)
Hardware Construction
Once
it had been determined that two separate
facilities were
necessary for conducting the experiment,
a container had to be constructed that was suitable
for transporting the biological samples from the Microbial Genetics Laboratory to the
psychoenergetics
facility.
There were three primary factors that dictated the design of the
container:
(1) the biological samples had to be protected from extreme variations in
temperature;
(2) the samples had to be protected from sunlight; and
(3)
the container had to
be lockable.
Y
l
To control against extreme variations in temperature, which can greatly
affect the mutagenicity of Salmonella,
a Coleman® ice chest was chosen as the transport
container.
Triple-paned insulated glass windows were specially installed in the top and front
side of the ice chest to allow an unobstructed view of the experiment test tubes.
Because
sunlight also affects the mutagenicity of the bacteria,
a tarpaulin was used to completely cover
the cooler during transport between the biological laboratory and the psychoenergetics
facility.
A lock was installed; the key was retained exclusively by the biological technician, to preclude
the possibility of tampering with the biological samples once they had been removed from the
Microbial Genetics Laboratory.
Approved For Release 2000/^10
: CIA-RDP96-00789R00380028^001-0
2.
(U)
Presession Protocols
(U) A series of activities took place prior to the start of every experimental session.
First, the experiment monitor identified the session type from the fixed session sequence,
aababb,
(cf. Section C.2.b),
to determine whether the session would be an IDS favorable or
an IDS unfavorable (RA or IDSU) condition.
/
Second, the technician in the Microbial Genetics Laboratory prepared the
bacterial cultures for the session
(see Appendix)
.
Eleven numerically-labelled,
sterile,
16-x-150-mm test tubes were aseptically
filled with 2.5 ml of glucose minimal broth.
Fifty
pi of a 37 °C overnight culture of strain TA100 of Salmonella typhimurium was then added to
each tube. *
In a standardized manner, the
first nine tubes were arranged in a test-tube rack,
which was placed in the specially designed ice chest, and then locked.
The remaining two
control cultures were shielded from visible light by a covering of aluminum
foil, and were
maintained
at room temperature
in the Microbial Genetics Department laboratory.
(U)
The
ice chest, with
its enclosed cultures, was placed on a cart and covered with
a tarpaulin to ensure that the mutation rate of the cultures was not affected by sunlight during
transportation from the laboratory to the experimental
facility.
(U)
Third, the experiment monitor transported the covered ice chest on the cart
from the biological laboratory to another
facility at SRI, where the psychoenergetic portion of
the experiment was performed.
Prior to the arrival of the subject, the monitor wheeled the
ice chest into a room equipped with a table and two chairs.
The ice chest was then
uncovered and positioned
in such a way that a seated subject could readily view the nine
numbered
test tubes through the
glass.
3.
(U)
Session Protocols
(U)
For other than the
first session for each subject, a session usually commenced
with feedback to the subject of the previous session’s results
(to be discussed in “Postsession
(U)
It should be noted that there was no visible evidence of “cloudiness" caused bv the
bacterial culture
in any of the prepared test tube solutions.
The appearance of the Hquid
:?H
Sir
f0n
?
ly
clear
. taP water.
Thus, there were no visual cues available to the
subject,
as to which test tubes might contain greater amounts of the bacterial culture.
Approved For Release/2000/08/10
: CIA-RDP96-00789R00380(f280001-0
Approved For Release 2000^08/10
: CIA-RDP96-00789R00380921^0001-0
(U)
the appropriate test-tube-selection numbers.
The order of selection and an estimate of the
duration of effort per each test tube were noted in the "Comments”
section.
Upon debriefing
the subject at the end of a session, the monitor also recorded any comments the subject
wished to make regarding possible strategies employed in the performance of the task, and
any personal statements the subjects wished to volunteer pertaining to their state-of-mind,
health, and so forth.
4.
(U)
Postsession Protocols
I
At the conclusion of the session, and after the departure of the subject
from the psychoenergetics
facility, the monitor once again covered the ice chest, then
transported
it on the cart back to the Microbial Genetics Laboratory.
(U)
The microbiologist removed the nine bacterial cultures from the ice chest and
placed them, together with the additional two extrasession control cultures,
in an incubator
(G24 Environmental Incubator Shaker, New Brunswick Scientific Company,
Inc., Edison,
New Jersey).
The bacterial cultures were shielded from visible
light by aluminum
foil, and
grown with gentle shaking (100 rpm)
for about 24 hours.
(U)
Following the incubation period,
testing of the eleven bacterial cultures to
determine the extent of mutation induction was initiated.
The testing was divided into two
parts:
•
Quantitation of number of cells plated, which measures the number of
plated cells that are able to form colonies (CFU) on medium containing
histidine
(yeast complete medium).
•
Quantitation of mutant
cells, which measures the number of cells that are
able to grow in the absence of histidine.
(U)
The quantitation of CFU was accomplished according to a standardized set of
laboratory procedures.
First, each of the eleven bacterial cultures
(i.e., the cultures contained
in the nine-session test tubes plus the two controls) was serially diluted by combining 0.20 ml
of the culture with
1.80 ml of sterile saline until an overall million-fold dilution was obtained
(10-6).
Complete medium plates were then divided into three sections with a marking pen,
and a 10-|U aliquot of the
10-4,
10-s, and
10-6 dilutions were then delivered in triplicate
to
the appropriate sections on the plate.
The
IO-4I spots were allowed to dry on the surface of
the solid medium in the plates.
The plates were then incubated
at 37 °C for up to 24 hours
r
Approved For Release 2900/08/10
: CIA-RDP96-00789R(
0280001-0
Approved For Release 2000/08/10
: CIA-RDP96-00783R003800280001-0
(U)
There was no compelling evidence, however, that subjects are able to interact causally with
this particular biological system.
(U)
Tables 2 through
8 display the data contained in Table
in a subject-by-subject
format.
One subject (310) produced strong effects in the IDS condition:
his low-aim
condition was significantly lower than his high-aim condition
(p < 0.003), and his low-aim
condition was also significantly lower than the no-aim condition
(p < 0.018).
(U)
In addition to the various t-tests,
a multiway analysis of variance (ANOVA) was
conducted as a second form of analysis
(post hoc).
Aim
(low, no, and high) and condition
(IDS and RA) were used as the two “main effects”
for the analysis.
When the ANOVA
examines one “main effect,"
it sums
all the data in the other “main effects.”
For example,
to examine the IDS and RA condition, the ANOVA sums across
all aims.
Likewise,
to
examine an aim effect, the ANOVA sums across the IDS and RA conditions.
No significance
was anticipated in these two dimensions, and none was observed.
Significance was observed,
however,
in the interaction term between the IDS and the RA condition
(p < 0.05), which
may indicate that there
is some difference between the IDS and RA conditions when
examined as a function of aim.
This does not imply that IDS or RA
is “more significant.”
It
should be noted that the interpretation of the ANOVA interaction term has been traditionally
difficult, and Rosenthal has suggested that ANOVA with more than one “main effect” should
not be used
in the social/psychological sciences.*
The analysis has been included here merely
for the sake of completeness.
^
\ In summary,
this experiment has produced a relatively weak, but statistically
significant effect, which most readily supports the conclusion that subjects are able to acquire
information, psychoenergetically, about the mutation r?tes of Salmonella, but are unable to
cause physical perturbations in these bacteria.
To reiterate the
criteria set forth in the
Introduction,
a physical system
will not be considered a candidate intrusion detector unless
it
registers energetic effects directly
(as a
result of intentional perturbation), or indirectly
(as a
result of concomitant acquisition of information).
To
first order, therefore,
it must be
concluded on the basis of this one experiment,
that the Salmonella bacterium does not appear
to be a promising intrusion detector.
*(U)
R. Rosenthal and R. Rosnow,
Essentials of Behavioral Research,
p. 254 (McGraw
Hill
Book Co., New York,
1984).
Approved For Release 2000/08/1 (|j_CIA-RDP96-00789^00380028000 1-0
Approved For Release 2000/08/10 :iC|A-RDP96-00789l]l003800280001-0
Table 2
(U) NORMALIZED MUTATION RATES
X
~6
(Subject 164)
Condition
Aim
]
Low
No
High
Remote Action (RA)
Remote Action (RA)
Remote Action (RA)
Mean
3.00
3.69
3.06
3.25
2.76
2.90
3.09
2.92
3.54
2.59
3.09
3.07
Statistics*
‘(L°w<No)
=-1.430
t (No < High)
=
0.484
n.
t (Low < High) = -0.475
n.
s.
s.
s.
Condition
Aim
Low
No
High
Intuitive Data Sorting (IDS)
Intuitive Data Sorting (IDS)
Intuitive Data Sorting (IDS)
Mean
2.99
2.79
3.57
3.11
2.89
3.54
2.68
3.04
3.26
2.93
2.83
3.01
t (Low < No)
= -0.310
n.s
Statistics*
t (No < High)
=
-0.112
n.s.
t (Low < High) = -0.475
n.s.
* Degrees of freedom =
16.
UNCLASSIFIED
I
^
Given the weak statistical nature of the effect and the potential,
importance of intrusion detection, replication
is recommended for a variety of
reasons.
First, there are
a number of proposed methodological changes to
this experiment
(a
iscussed in Chapter V)
that would in
all likelihood enhance the robustness of the
effect.
From this perspective, the experiment might legitimately be considered a pilot study
Second
this
is the
first experiment of
its kind that has used Salmonella as the target biological system-
Approved For Release 2000/0^/10
: CIA-RDP96-0J789R003800280001-0