Expert: Walter Hintz - 6/13/2006

Question
Thanks very much for your reply. I actually found this theory on wikipedia, after double-checking. It's known as the "100th Monkey" theory, and, you were right, it has been largely discredited by the scientific community:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundredth_Monkey

I was wondering if you could provide me with any online articles/references which go into the phenomenon of distant communication between (social) insects like bees?  I'm aware that pheromones and visual signals play a part in sending messages to workers etc., but would be most interested in any indication that long-distance communication could be achieved between these insects without the aid of such methods.

Thanks
Geoff

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Followup To

Question -
I've vaguely read in the past about the "Global Consciousness" theory. I believe the theory has been used by some people to explain how certain scientific theories and inventions  have been discovered virtually simultaneously in different countries, without there being any transfer of information. Here's a description of  a well-known study which describes this effect:-

"Basically the experiment was done by Japanese scientists who were studying monkey populations on the islands of Japan. Each island had a separate colony of monkeys, each colony on each island were isolated or cut off from each other, so the scientists saw no physical interaction between each island monkey colony. The stable diet of the monkey's were potatoes they would dig up from the ground. The scientists noted the monkey's teeth were being ground down through abrasion of the dirt on the potatoes when they ate them. On one island one day the scientists saw one child female monkey take the potato down to the water and wash it off before eating it. They had never seen this behaviour before then. Soon the young monkey taught other young monkeys how to do the same thing. What the scientists then noticed was once a certain number of the monkeys on that one island had learnt how to do it; all of a sudden without any interaction on a physical level all the monkeys on the other islands started doing the same thing. It was as if a critical mass had been reached initiating that memory to go into the grid for those monkeys and they all knew how to do it."

from:-

http://www.pranaspirituallifecentre.coffs.com.au/christgrid.htm

The only times I've heard this theory cited is by "alternative" sites or dodgy people like Tony Robbins. I was wondering if real scientists have any reason to believe this theory to be true. Any comments?

Thanks
Geoff


Answer -
Hi Goeff:
Very interesting. I have never read about the "global consciousness theory" before.  
 As to the Japanese study of monkeys I had never heard of it.   Has it been published in a scientific journal and does it have reliable data to back it up. My initial response is that It is not true. As a biologist with over 50 years of study and teaching I have come to the conclusion that in science everything makes sense.  The monkey study does not make sense to me.
 I read the information about the Prana spiritual life center. The information given here may well have credence but it is not testable and therefore has no basis in science.  Kirlian photography for example can be explained scientifically without reference to the paranormal.  There is no scientific evidence regarding "auras" around living things. The term "life force" is basically meaningless. The Prana paper is full of misinformation based upon the occult.
 There is a strange phenomenon in nature that demands further study however and seems to point to some sort of communication between organisms. There may be a connection between individuals in colonies of social insects like bees and ants.  It has been suggested through observation that when a honeybee is killed outside of the hive that there is increased activity within the hive.  It would seem that perhaps a colony of insects is an entity with individual insects being components.  Certainly if the Queen drones and workers are not together the colony does not function.
 In summery my take on this topic is that there is no testable scientific evidence of a global consciousness and Tony Robbins is just a hack who has found away to get rich.
 If you have any information from a scientific journal please let me know.

Answer
Hi Geoff
A strange happened after I responded to your question the other day. Besides my college teaching I visit an elementary school where I do hands on science. I was telling some fourth graders about you question and the monkey study andan unusally bright little boy told me all about this study and said he saw it on Animal Planet. I did not see this so I do not know the conclusions made there. I will read the Wikipedia article.
As to the social insect idea I do not recall when I read about it.  It may be just a lot of hot air.  I will have to do some research on it and let you know.  You can also do some searching and let me know what you find.
 For further communication switch to my email at waltjh@sbcglobal.net