Chapter 10 Other Events of Cold Fusion and Characteristics of a Phenomenological Theory

Main features of the cold fusion phenomenon\index{cold fusion phenomenon} were introduced in Chapters 6 ̴ 9 from our point of view. The materials where occurs the phenomenon have spread out from the originally focused metal hydrides to such compounds as proton conductor, superconductors and ferroelectrics. The events observed in the phenomenon have also had variety from the excess heat, tritium and neutron generation to helium-4 (⁴₂He) and nuclear transmutation (NT) with small or large shifts of mass and atomic numbers by a decay or a fission.

In addition to these variety of materials and events, there have been reported a curious phenomenon occurring in biological systems, so-called biotransmutation. It has been noticed that there occurs a phenomenon which can only be explained by nuclear transmutation in biological systems.

In this chapter, we will introduce some features of the biotransmutation and then discuss natures of a theory to explain an unknown phenomenon in general for a preparation of presentation of a phenomenological theory for the cold fusion phenomenon in the next chapter.

10.1 biotransmutation

It is really curious to hear that some plants or animals produce new elements in their body while they grow fed with nourishment containing only other elements. Can you understand these facts even if you are familiar with cold fusion phenomenon in physical systems?

The phenomenon occurs as follows: In some kinds of plants and animals, amount of elements in the nourishment fed to them shows difference from that in the body and the discharge after some periods^46,47. Some examples are introduced in M. Kushi's book⁴⁶ as follows (p. 24).

"A belief in the possibility of transmutation dates back to the origin of modern science. In 1799, a French chemist by the name of Vauquelin observed a large quantity of lime (CaO) in the daily excretion of chickens. He fed a captive hen a diet of nothing but oats in order to find out where the lime was coming from. He measured the amount of lime in the oats, and then fed the oats to the hen. He then measured the amount of lime in the excretion and the eggs of the hen, and discovered that it had increased by a factor of twelve. He hypothesized that lime had been created but was unable to explain how or why.

An English researcher by the name of Prout defined the transmutation of elements in 1822. He studied incubating chicken eggs and noted that the increasing amounts of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) inside the eggs had not originated in the eggshell. In 1833, Choubard studied germinating seeds of watercress. He observed minerals in the sprouting plants that had not been present in the seeds. Vogel, in 1844, also studied the seeds of watercress. He placed the seeds in a controlled air environment and nourished them with a solution that was free of sulphur (S). He discovered that the plants that grew had more sulfur in them than the seeds did. He hypothesized that the additional sulphur had to have come from an unknown source. Other nineteenth century researchers, including Lauwes, Gilbert, and Von Herzeele, also conducted studies on transmutation.

In 1960, Professor Baranger, an associate of Kervran's in France, published his findings on variations of phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) in germinating seeds. He concluded that a transmutation had occurred, but was unable to determine the reason."

These changes of elements have been observed as explained in the above sentences and it seems difficult to neglect them as results of experimental error though the explanations given in the book is difficult to accept from physicist point of view.

After the introduction of those examples, M. Kushi cites a conclusion of the editor of a review as follows (p. 25):

"A review of the work of Kervran and others, entitled ‘Energy Development from Elemental Transmutations in Biological Systems’, published in 1978 by the U.S. Army Material Technology Laboratory, concluded that in biological bodies, transmutation was most likely taking place at the cellular level:

The works of Kervran, Komaki [an associate of George Ohsawa's], and others were surveyed; and it was concluded that granted the existence of transmutation (Na to Mg, K to Ca, Mn to Fe), then a net surplus of energy was also produced. A proposed mechanism was described in which Mg adenosine triphosphate (MgATP), located in the mitochondrion of the cell, played a double role as an energy producer. In addition to the widely accepted biochemical role of MgATP in which it produces energy as it disintegrates part by part, MgATP can also be considered to be a condensed cyclotron on a molecular scale. The MgATP when placed in layers one atop the other has all the attributes of a cyclotron in accordance with the requirements set forth by E.O. Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron.

‘It was concluded that elemental transmutation were indeed occurring in life organisms and were probably accompanied by a net energy gain’."

From our point of view, on which the excess heat generation and the nuclear transmutation in electrolytic and gas-loading systems are explained by nuclear reactions in them catalyzed by thermal neutrons, the biotransmutation described in the book and cited above should also be explained as follows.

A body of plants or animals is made of cells with regularity and fundamental elements of the cell are hydrogen (H), oxygen (O) and carbon (C). The ambient thermal neutron, which is plenty on the earth everywhere⁶⁹, can be trapped in the body of a living being by a structure with regularity, i.e. the layer structure of MgATP explained in the Kushi's sentence cited above. The trapped neutron can reacts with an element in the body. Such nuclear transmutation as Na → Mg, P → S, K → Ca and Mn → Fe are easily explained by nuclear reactions where occur a neutron capture and a successive beta decay as follows:

²³₁₁Na + n → ²⁴₁₁Na → ²⁴₁₂Mg + e^– + ν_e

³¹₁₅P + n → ³²₁₅P → ³²₁₆S + e^– + ν_e

³⁹₁₉K + n → ⁴⁰₁₉K → ⁴⁰₂₀Ca + e^– + ν_e

⁵⁵₂₅Mn + n → ⁵⁶₂₅Mn → ⁵⁶₂₆Fe + e^– + ν_e,

whereν_e represents the electron neutrino.

It is interesting to notice that the initial elements on the left terms of these reactions has remarkable characteristics in their natural abundance, i.e. they are 100 (²³₁₁Na), 100 (³¹₁₅P), 93.3 (³⁹₁₉K) and 100 % (⁵⁵₂₅Mn). They are all 100 % except 93.3 % for ³⁹₁₉K! The intermediate nuclei in the middle terms have all short decay times to generate the final elements except ³⁹₁₉K: They are 15.0 h, 14.3 d, 1.3 × 10⁹ y and 2.58 h, respectively! The decay time shortening of ³⁹₁₉K might be occurring in this case, too.

It should be remembered the decay time shortening noticed in Section 9.3 appeared here to interpret the biotransmutation on the TNCF model.

The explanation of the typical biotransmutation on the TNCF model described above seems reasonable and we have to feel surprise for the characteristics the elements have adequate for the nuclear transmutation.

According to the general conclusion on the mechanism to trap thermal neutrons, plants seem easier to have a structure with regularity for the neutron trapping. This is in accordance with reported facts of popularity of biotransmutation in plants than in animals.

We are just in beginning of realization of molecular structure of living beings. There might be plenty of unknown knowledge about molecular mechanism of biosystem in plants and animals. It might be not absurd if we consider that a living being create a structure feasible to trap thermal neutrons when necessity be felt to transmute potassium into sodium, or else.

Radioisotopes in nature may be an example of this sort. Some hot springs (Onsens) in Japan is famous for their content of radium in the water. From our custom to bathe in the hot water of the Onsen for a week or two to cure some kinds of disease, we can know a positive effect of weak radioactivity for our health though it is not clearly recognized by modern medicine.

It is true that we are feeling mysteries of life, some of them are now taken up for objects of modern science. One example of them is the telepathy which showed reality by a scientific test of an authority in USA. We have to be moderate to judge phenomena outside of our conventional experimental techniques.