PureInsight | April 29, 2002
An article studying human consciousness entitled "Correlation of global events with REG data: An Internet-based, non-local anomalies experiment" by Roger Nelson was published in The Journal of Parapsychology in September 2001. In this experiment, a correlation is predicted between characteristics of data from a world-spanning network of random event generators (REGs) and specified 'global events' that are expected to create an unusual coherence of interest and attention. This shows evidence of the energetic nature of human consciousness as a matter existing in this material world.
This study originated from 'The Global Consciousness Project (GCP)'. The GCP is an international effort involving more than two dozen researchers from several countries. The GCP is designed to explore whether the construct of consciousness can be scientifically validated through objective measurement. The project builds on experiments conducted over the past 35 years at a number of laboratories that demonstrate that human consciousness interacts with random event generators (REGs) apparently 'causing' them to produce non-random patterns. REGs are physical random data-acquisition system (REG or RNG) which were attached to a computer running software to collect data continuously at the rate of one 200-bit trial per second. There are about 35 host sites for REG in Europe, the United States, India, New Zealand, Fiji, Brazil, and Indonesia. A total of 43 events had been formally specified. They send time-stamped, check sum-qualified data packets (each containing 5 minutes of data) to a server in Princeton. The data is systematically analyzed after a strict sensor of the accuracy of the data transmission.
The scientists identified occasions with the broadest scope and impact for a large proportion of people around the world. They also specified the period of time of the events during which a deviation is expected in the data. Chi squared test of data distribution and a comparison of standardized means revealed that there are significant deviations of the distribution of data from randomness during the specified periods and the data displayed obvious non-random pattern. For example, on the occasions of the funeral ceremonies for Princess Diana and the international Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, an array of such REG devices in Europe and the United States recorded non-random activity during these widely shared experiences of deeply engaging events.
The embassy bombings in Nairobi and Tanzania, on August 7, 1998, at 07:35 UTC also produced an impact on REG data. The analysis of was based on data from three REGs and looked at the event period from 07:15 to 07:45 UTC at a 3-hour aftermath period from 07:15 to 10:15 UTC. The analysis shows a striking accumulation of positive deviations of the distribution of the data from randomness in the chi-square across the 3-hour period following the bombing. The data formed a regular pattern and significantly non-random.
New Year's Eve, a night in which there is great interest and participation practically everywhere in the world, is another focus of this study. The scientists found that the period of 10 minutes surrounding the midnight transition to the New Year, from 1998 to 1999, showed a deviation in the data summed across all time zones. The result of their data analysis was highly significant, showing a monotonic trend.
Besides studying the effect of consciousness on REG in global events, these scientists also identified some local events to compare the effect of consciousness on REGs located in that particular region to those in other regions. One of the events is the solar eclipse in August of 1999. It was obviously more exciting for those who actually were in the path of the solar eclipse than for those not in its path. Measurements and computations showed that the data in the path had highly significant regular pattern compared with data from other places.
All of this evidence verifies that during periods of significant events, the widespread attention of human beings can impact the material world and make physical occurrences display a predictable pattern. For a long time, humans have viewed consciousness as some vague information cluster without any characteristics of other matter in the material world and having no direct influence on matter. The result of this consciousness study has challenged the philosophical notion that consciousness is the opposite of material existence and that consciousness is incompatible with material phenomena. The ongoing research in human consciousness reveals that consciousness may have a material composition and may be susceptible to being measured physically.
The Chinese version is available at
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2002/4/10/14603.html
