Vietnamese Biofield Re: [(pseudo)SCI] $1,100,000 prize for , demonstration of biofield

[Aiviet Nguyen <aiviet@cat.syr.edu>]

Hi,
  This made me remember the theory of the biofields by Prof.Nguyen Hoang 
Phuong of Hanoi University in the late 70's and early 80's. Having tried to 
reproduce the main formulas, I can say that was a beautiful math structure. 
However, the beauty is not enough for a realistic theory. The Luck of Dirac
does not visit us that often 

  Let me review the main ideas of this theory for non-expert:
     
    The following observation may help you to understand the motivation ( 
I am responsible for any mistakes here, not Prof Hoang Phuong): 
     A complex number is **different** from a pair of real numbers that 
complex numbers form a field. Avoiding the mathematical complications we just
mention that the essential feature of the field structure is that they
can mix components with each other. So if you want to descibe two quantities
that are strongly interrelated ( for instance they can generate each 
other in some process), you might want to use a complex number. 
Alternatively, a pair of number just trivially put them together. We know
several beautiful complex formulation of resistance and induction in 
electromagnetism, reflection and absorption in Optics,...where a pair
of quantity can transform into each other.
   
    Well, the electrodynamics has 4 quantities, E, D, H, B. They also 
transform into each other. It is certainly not enough to put them together
in a trivial way as a quadruple of real quantities. Fortunately, there is
a field of quadruple, which is a direct extension of complex numbers. That
is the field of quaternions. The famous application of quaternion is the
Pauli theory of spin. It turns out that it is easy to write down the four
Maxwell equations by a single quaternion equation. The field character
of quaternions manifests itself as the Faraday-Oersted laws, where 
electricity produces the magnetism and vice versa. 

   Now the next and at the same time the last extension of the field of 
number is the field of octonions of eight quantities or a couple of 
quaternions. Professor Phuong just wrote down the octonionic Maxwell
equation. It is broken down to a couple of quaternion equations. One of them
is exactly the one of electrodynamics. The question is how to interpret the
second equation that contains four interrelated quantities.

  Here a quantum leap was made by Prof Hoang Phuong: those are biofields.
For me this step is somehow not too convincing. But looking back to the 
history of Science, we can see similar jumps. But the ends of the stories
are different: the result counts and lucks are also needed. The arguments
of Prof Phuong for this hypothesis are somewhat heuristic. But heuristic
argument used to be also useful. So I don't see any crackpot at this 
point, as a lot of vietnamese scientists claimed.

  The arguments were mainly on the mathematical beauty of the theory:
    - The extension of numbers to octonions is the last one. Beyond that
no extension is possible.
    - The extension of Physics to Biology is also ultimate. Prof Phuong 
deeply believe that Physical fields and Biofields should be interrelated.
    - The coincidence is so unique that, as Prof Phuong said, if God is 
there, he should mount these two together.

  Well, I am more practical and can only say : OK, let us verify the 
consequence of the theory. If we can work out couple of experiments
( like General Relativity) which can be tested, that would be OK.
The theory is predictive because of the field character of octonions. It says
the Biofields and the Electromagnetic fields are interrelated. That means
the Biofields can be measured by the Electromagnetic devices.

  This feature makes this theory more scientific, as we know numerous of
theories that cannot be tested, for instance the theory of Ghosts saying that
we cannot measure the effect of Ghosts. Unmeasurability equals to
non-existence in the eyes of a positivist view adopted by most scientists.

  As you see, at the moment there is no available device that can measure the
Biofields. Prof Hoang Phuong was so enthusiastic about the Biofields that he
tried to prove the existence of the biofiels by working with the people 
who have special and mysterious abilities. The story beyond this , in my 
justification does not belong to today's science anymore. But whatelse we 
can do before somebody wins the 1.1 millions.

  Sometimes theory cannot go too ahead. The credit of Special Relativity
belonged to Einstein but not to Poincare and Lorentz, just because he was 
born after Michelson and Eotvos. That's irony of the life.

Cheers
Aiviet