Human Subject Effects on Torsion Pendulum Oscillations: Further Evidence of Mediation by Convection Currents.


Author: Hammerschlag R1, Linda Baldwin A2, Schwartz GE3

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>The Institute for Integrative Health, Baltimore, MD; Consciousness and Healing Initiative, San Diego, CA. Electronic address: rhammerschlag@ocom.edu.

<sup>2</sup>Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; Laboratory for the Advances in Consciousness & Health, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

<sup>3</sup>Laboratory for the Advances in Consciousness & Health, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ.
Conference/Journal: Explore (NY).
Date published: 2016 Aug 18
Other:
  Pages: S1550-8307(16)30108-2   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2016.08.003. [Epub ahead of print]   ,  Word Count: 189  
    CONTEXT: When a human subject sits beneath a wire mesh, hemispheric torsion pendulum (TP) a rapid-onset series of oscillations at frequencies both higher and lower than the fundamental frequency of the TP have been consistently observed.



OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to replicate and extend prior findings that suggest the human subject effect on TP behavior is due to subject-generated, heat-induced convection currents.



DESIGN: Effects on pendulum behavior were tested after draping an aluminized "space blanket" over the subject and by replacing the subject with a thermal mattress pad shaped to approximate the human form.



SETTING: Experiments were performed in a basic science university research laboratory.



MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Real-time recordings and Fast Fourier Transform frequency spectra of pendulum oscillatory movement.



RESULTS: The space blanket blocked, while the mattress pad mimicked, the human subject induced complex array of pendulum oscillations.



CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support and strengthen previous results that suggest the effects of human subjects on behavior of a torsion pendulum are mediated by body-heat-induced air convection rather than an unknown type of biofield.



Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.



KEYWORDS: Biofield; Convection; Torsion pendulum



PMID: 27663217  DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2016.08.003