Revisiting the mitogenetic effect of ultra-weak photon emission

1–2 h (inductor, onion root; recipient, onion root) (Gurwitsch and Gurwitsch, 1934);

15–30 min (inductor, bacteria; recipient, bacteria). 60 min induction gave no effect; 2 h induction and more gave depression (Wolf and Ras, 1933).

The idea of this method was to check if the mitogenetic radiation had any special temporal order. For this sake, the inductor and the recipient were separated with a non-transparent disc, which had sectorial slits of various size and mutual position. The disc was rotating at constant speed, and thus the recipient was periodically exposed to the inductor (through the slits) or screened from it (with the rest of the disc). Mutual position of slits determined the temporal pattern of such “interrupted exposure” (i.e., periods of exposure and screening).

For some inductors (malignant tumors) the value of MGE in this system depended only on the total duration of induction. For others (functioning nerves, muscles, etc…) the induction temporal pattern was crucial. The authors claimed, that in the second case periodic patterns (periods of exposure ~1 ms, periods of screening ~50 ms) gave MGE several times higher (!), than in standard induction; while more complicated patterns (the same rotation frequency, but irregular position of slits) removed the effect (Gurwitsch and Gurwitsch, 1934, 1959). See Section Can UPE Transfer Information? for discussion.

In practical sense, this method allowed the authors to increase the distance between the inductor (of the second type) and the recipient, and even to set a monochromator in between. Thus, the method of “MGE spectral analysis” was invented (see Section Physical Qualities of Mitogenetic Radiation).

MGE needs some time after the end of induction to become detectable (Gurwitsch and Gurwitsch, 1934; Rahn, 1936). This time is mostly 30 min–2 h (Tuthill and Rahn, 1933) if the measured parameter is budding index or percent of mitoses, and 1–4 h if it is the culture density (Ferguson and Rahn, 1933; Wolf and Ras, 1933). For yeast cultures this time could also be as short as 5–10 min, but if only the smallest buds were counted (the so called “fast method” used in Gurwitsch's lab since 1945) (Gurwitsch and Eremeev, 1947; Gurwitsch, 1968).

MGE can be observed on either lag-phase (Ferguson and Rahn, 1933; Tuthill and Rahn, 1933; Wolf and Ras, 1933), or “aging” cultures, but is more pronounced on the first.

Lag phase yeast recipients should be inoculated from post-diauxic1 phase, and better from agar, than from suspension cultures (Rahn, 1936).

Lag-phase bacterial recipients should be inoculated from 2 to 4 days old inoculum cultures (Wolf and Ras, 1931, 1933; Ferguson and Rahn, 1933). “24 h <E. coli> cultures never reacted; cultures 48 h old or still older always responded” (Rahn, 1936).

No effect was found on younger or older cultures (Tuthill and Rahn, 1933). I.e., neither actively growing (or soon after), nor stationary phase (G0) cultures were sensitive to mitogentic radiation.

Every recipient has a “window of sensitivity” (or competence to MGE), which depends on the state of the inoculum culture. The deeper the inoculum culture has progressed in post-diauxic phase, the later its “sensitivity window” “opens.”

Lag-phase yeast cultures plated from 24 h inoculum were sensitive within 0–1 h after plating. Cultures plated from 6 days inoculum—within the period 2–2.5 h after plating. Cultures plated from 10 days old inoculum were not sensitive to mitogentic stimuli at all (Tuthill and Rahn, 1933).

Bacterial recipient cultures were sensitive either immediately after plating (2–4 days old inoculum, diluted in fresh medium to 20,000 cells/ml) (Wolf and Ras, 1933), or just before plating (2–4 days old inoculum exposed to the inductor, and immediately diluted in fresh medium to 50–5000 cells/ml) (Ferguson and Rahn, 1933).

No effect was found on too dense cultures (Rahn, 1936). Too diluted cultures either didn't grow, or didn't show any sustainable effect (Gurwitsch and Gurwitsch, 1934).

<100,000 cells/ml (E. coli, suspension culture. Good results obtained at concentration 50 and 5000 cells/ml) (Ferguson and Rahn, 1933);

Single cells on agar medium, not forming groups (S. cerevisiae, agar culture). “Cells <should be> far enough apart not to influence each other” (Rahn, 1936, p. 68).

The effect was inconsistent if the recipient was plated on “standard media.” To optimize the effect, Rahn used broth diluted 1:10 with water (E. coli, suspension cultures) (Ferguson and Rahn, 1933). Gurwitsch, on the contrary, found stable effects on oversaturated media (18 balling beer wort) (Gurwitsch and Gurwitsch, 1934).

Suspension cultures can be induced only in very thin layers, <0.5 mm (Wolf and Ras, 1933; Rahn, 1936). “Thicker layers of the medium absorb all radiation and take off the effect” (Rahn, 1936).

The radiation can be reflected by quartz or glass plates, used in the experimental setup.

Induction should be done at “diffuse daylight” (Potozky, 1930). MGE is not observed in complete darkness or at bright light (Gurwitsch and Gurwitsch, 1934).

Some inductors of MGE (e.g., yeast cultures) should stay at “diffuse daylight” for at least 2 h before the induction (Potozky, 1930).

Most of the experiments on MGE were performed in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, but without special saturation with either oxygen or other gases. A few attempts to get MGE in anaerobic conditions led to negative effects (Gurwitsch and Gurwitsch, 1934).

No external UV. MGE is not observed in the presence of external sources of (even weakest) UV (Ruyssen, 1933).

For more detailed examination of the demands to get MGE we recommend a painstaking review by Rahn (1936), and also (Gurwitsch, 1932; Hollaender, 1936).

In the original “standard yeast protocols” by Gurwitsch and Baron, budding index (BI, % of budding cells) of the induced culture was compared to that in control. Although the cultures used were “aging,” according to the given experimental tables control BI was still ~20–30%. The induced cultures mostly showed a 40–80% increase of budding, relative to the control “background level.” E.g., BIcontrol=30%; BIinduced=45%;MGE=45%-30%30%=50% (relative). In “yeast protocols” by Rahn, control culture was in the lag-period, and thus had practically zero budding: BIcontrol ~ 0−5%. Comparing this to BIinduced ~ 20%, the authors obtained much more noticeable results.

Thus, in the following section, we give what we consider the best experimental protocols for MGE detection. The “bacterial protocol” is originally from Wolf, but optimized by Rahn; the “yeast protocol” was suggested by Rahn anew.

Culture: E. coli. Medium: Broth, diluted 1:10 with sterile water. Temperature: 37°C.

Recipient: Culture of E. coli in 1:10 diluted broth, 2–4 days old (24 h old cultures don't work), grown at 37°C.

Induction: The recipient is placed in a quartz Petri dish in a very thin layer (~0.5 mm) and induced from the bottom. Immediately after the end of induction it is diluted with fresh medium to cell density 101–104 cells/ml (50 cells/ml and 5000 cells/ml work well; 500,000 doesn't work) and incubated at 37°C for 8 h. Cell concentration is measured every 2 h (the authors used plate count method).

In Wolf and Ras (1931, 1933) the recipient culture was first diluted till concentration 20,000 cells/ml, and then exposed to the inductor (in a layer ~0.5 mm).