[ExI] DNA - The Next Internet: True or False?

[Emlyn]

2010/3/14 Natasha Vita-More <natasha at natasha.cc>

>  Can any scientist on the list offer a scientific explanation for the
> relationship between cells and what is perceived as their talking with
> light?
>
> http://www.viewzone.com/dna.html
> WARNING:  Does contain words such as "homoeopathy".
>
> [image: Nlogo1.tif] Natasha Vita-More <http://www.natasha.cc/>
>
>

This reads like something sitting in the grey borderlands between science
and woo. It feels as though there is a real effect here somewhere, but I
can't find much more detailed information to read, just vast crapscapes of
woo pages mentioning Dr Popp.

First thing that leaped out at me, was reasonable sounding discussion of
photons playing some role in "communication" inside the cell, then jumping
to

"Dr. Popp exclaims, "We now know, today, that man is essentially a being of
light."
"Cancer is a loss of coherent light"
"In one experiment, he compared the light from free-range hens' eggs with
that from penned-in, caged hens. The photons in the former were far more
coherent than those in the latter."
"Just the opposite is seen with multiple sclerosis: MS is a state of too
much order. Patients with this disease are taking in too much light, thereby
inhibiting their cells' ability to do their job."
(and much more)

It seems like rubbish to me.

Note also the claim that signaling with photons "explains" something about
how cells work, while no actual explanation of anything is presented: saying
photons are used isn't an explanation, it's just a statement with little
context, an observation?

Dr Popp seems to be central to the "International Institute for Biophysics",
here's some more on "biophotons" from their site:

http://www.lifescientists.de/ib0200e_.htm#Development%20of%20Biophotons
http://www.lifescientists.de/ib0200e_.htm#Definition%20of%20Biophotons

The "Development of Biophotons" stuff matches what's in that woo article.

If this effect is so strong and useful, why isn't it hugely represented in
the biology community? It seems pretty fringy.

But I am not a biologist. I can't get any further here. Anyone else?

-- 
Emlyn

http://point7.wordpress.com - My blog
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