The Soul Is a Biophysical Reality: Review of the Experimental Evidence

Abstract

Introduction: In the present report, we studied the responses of a dwarf form of the unicellular organism, Stentor coeruleus, at the life/ death interphase. Methods: Uncovered deep well slides were filled with culture media containing the large forms of Stentor coeruleus. On evaporation of the culture medium, the cell membrane of these larger forms disrupted. When rehydrated 24 hours later the micronuclei previously released from the dying cells showed the formation of numerous, mobile dwarf cells. Chlorinated tap water added to the medium was used to induce cell death. Results: The initial indication of the dying dwarf cell is “blebbing,” a signature of programmed cell death known as apoptosis. Within 8-12min, the stationary dwarf cell progressively released a morphological replicate of the dead cell before the replicate faded into the ambient environment. In other experiments, just prior to fading, the slide was exposed to a magnetic field (75 milligaus) which caused a retraction of the replicate back into the dwarf cell. Subsequently, the cells resumed their previously mobile activity. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that a phenomenon analogous to the characteristics ascribed to the soul in the metaphysical literature can be demonstrated in the laboratory. We suggest that the responses shown by this unicellular organism at the life/death interphase may be conserved across the evolutionary spectrum.