Bioelectric Fields at the Beginnings of Life

However, cancer cells still rely on oxidative phosphorylation, and recent data suggest that one of the ways that they can evade the immune system is by inducing immune cells to transfer whole mitochondria to them via nanotubes, effectively hijacking them.82 This of course would completely change the bioelectric field around both cells, but it also highlights the well-known importance of mitochondria in cancer metastasis.83

Although these ideas are speculative, we may need to think differently about the origins of cancer and the role of electric fields and potentially, mitochondria. In effect, cancer can be viewed as a natural consequence of excessive energy requiring dissipation, which has become coupled to a shift in the bioelectric field that enables a cell to disengage itself from its fellows and become less cooperative, but then perhaps becomes more able to move around. Once it has found a new niche following metastasis, it reengages with the cells in its new environment. Tellingly, this process is well documented to be associated with the suppression of the local immune system; from a bioelectric point view, this is simply reestablishing communications with its neighbors.

Given the large electric fields generated by mitochondria, this might explain their close association with cancer, and perhaps hint that mitochondrial function is coupled to wound resolution and limb regeneration. As has been said, the field density across the inner membrane of a mitochondrion is not far off that found in a bolt of lightning.84 At the cellular level, fields are thus very dense.

So what is cancer in these terms? It could represent an outcome from the very earliest days of life where excess energy drove the formation of new dissipative structures that became self-sustaining, as they could maintain form by generation of their own bioelectric templates. However, ultimately, cooperation continued to evolve as it resulted in structures that could dissipate for longer and were more robust due to integration of their bioelectric fields and information. In terms of thermodynamics, life has thus always had to balance dissipation by creation of new compounds and thus replication and growth, versus maintenance of uncoupling to maintain self-sustaining structures. This would suggest that excess calories will increase the incidence of cancer, which is exactly what we see85; conversely, burning calories through physical activity is protective.86 Movement is of course just another way of dissipating energy, perhaps suggesting why it evolved.

One interpretation of this is that the excess energy stimulates not only growth to dissipate the energy but also a propensity for single cell survival that is coupled to natural selection of cells that become less cooperative. This then becomes “hard wired” through mutation in key pathways that is coupled to alterations in bioelectric fields. This might begin to explain why many secondary plant metabolites have anticancer functions, as they can induce selective uncoupling and dissipation, which evolved from their ability to act as sunscreens.87

Finally, an interesting hypothesis falls out of this, and this is that the evolution of eukaryotes was driven by synergizing with the ancestors of the mitochondria to improve the ability to move. This of course strongly suggests that for most eukaryotes, their morphogenetic fields are tightly coupled to mitochondrial function. This might provide us with new avenues in how to tackle cancer.

To those early scientific pioneers who were not afraid to consider almost an1y hypothesis to explain how life worked.

A.V.W.N. conceived the theory and wrote the article; G.W.G. and J.D.B. provided critical feedback and editorial support.