littlelabrynth
09-13-06, 03:31 AM
This is a intended as theory that explains what Mittlewerk and the Hanso Foundation are up to in the ARG and how it may tie in with the tv show LOST.
"In 1962, only thirteen years ago, the world came to the brink of nuclear war. The United States and the Soviet Union almost fulfilled the promise of mutual assured destruction. A promise they continue to foster through a destructive Cold War. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, both nations decided to find a solution. The result was the Valenzetti Equation. Commissioned under the highest secrecy through the UN Security Council, the equation is the brainchild of the Italian mathematician Enzo Valenzetti. It predicts the exact number of years and months before humanity extinguishes itself. Whether through nuclear fire, chemical and biological warfare, convention warfare, pandemic, overpopulation (film glitch) His results are chilling, and attention must be paid. Valenzetti gave numerical values to the core environmental and human factors in his equation, 4 8 15 16 23 and 42. Only by manipulating the environment, by finding scientific solutions to all of our problems we may be able to change those core factors, and give humanity a chance to survive. Although the equation has been buried by those who commissioned it, (film damaged at this point) panic. It has always been my belief that we ignore all warnings at our own peril, and thus the Dharma Initiative was born. DHARMA is an acronym for Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications. It also stands for the one true way. And through your research you will help humanity.
The end of humanity has been foretold of by all religions and civilizations for thousands of years. I believe that the Valenzetti Equation does exactly what it is reported to do. It predicts the exact date that the human race will become extinct. This event will happen regardless of the cause. It will not matter if the end will be caused by natural or man made events, what matters is that the end date is DEFINITE and UNPREVENTABLE. Because the United Nations knew it could not prevent this event and they understood that if this information was leaked to the general public, mass hysteria would ensue, they chose to bury the equation and its findings. “Although the equation has been buried by those who commissioned it, (film damaged at this point) panic.”
After spending decades providing munitions to many resistance groups around Europe during WWII and developing advanced weapons systems for NATO, Alvar Hanso developed a conscious, or maybe just a fear of death, and decided to use his power, influence, and money to privately fund the DHARMA Initiative and find a solution to the upcoming extinction of the human race. He assembled the brightest scientists and tasked them with finding a way to prevent the destruction of the human race before the date prophesied by the Valenzetti Equation. The solution they came up with was to attempt to modify the environmental or human factors that resulted in each value. If one or more of the variables could be changed, then it might be possible for the human race to escape extinction. The problem is that these core environmental and human factors of the Valenzetti Equation are FIXED values. Thus the result of the equation, the date of the end of the human race, cannot be changed.
Alvar Hanso tells us in the DHARMA Initiative Orientation Film of 1975 that “Valenzetti gave numerical values to the core environmental and human factors in his equation, 4 8 15 16 23 and 42.” However, we DO NOT know exactly how these numbers were defined or what they represent. Continuing with the environmental and human factors theme, I would like to propose something similar to this (I am not really serious about any of these except 23):
4 = There are four seasons in a calendar year. There are four natural forces of the universe which have an effect on everything: gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force. There are also four evolutionary forces: natural selection (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection), genetic drift (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_drift), mutation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation) and gene flow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_flow).
8 = There are eight basic directions on a compass
15 = ?
16 = There are sixteen different personality types in the Myers-Briggs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs) classification system.
23 = Human DNA has 23 pairs of chromosomes. There are also 23 chromosomes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosome) in a human germline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germline) cell. The earth's axis is tilted at a 23.4 degree angle.
42 = 42° is the critical angle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_angle) of refraction by water - it is the angle between a rainbow and the antisolar point. The light leaving a rainbow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow) is spread over a wide angle, with a maximum intensity around 42°
I believe that Hanso and the DHARMA Initiative began by trying to manipulate the ENVIRONMENTAL factors. I believe that after several years of trying to change the core ENVIRONMENTAL values of the equation without success, Hanso and DHARMA decided to try to change the core HUMAN values. I would like to propose that the solution to the extinction of the human race on the date predicted by the Valenzetti Equation is to change the human core value of 23 (which would correspond to the number of pairs of chromosomes in the human DNA sequence), thus EVOLVING the human race. The method they came up with, (and the method which Mittlewerk is still trying to use), is to attempt to change the human DNA sequence. The Hanso Foundation is using genetically altered viruses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus) to alter the human DNA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA) sequence.
See also: Human Genetic Engineering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genetic_engineering), Human Enhancement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Enhancement), and Life Extension (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_extension).
Human Genetic Engineering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genetic_engineering)
The Process
There are two main types of genetic engineering. Somatic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatic) modifications involve adding genes to cells other than egg or sperm cells. For example. if a person had a disease caused by a defective gene, a healthy gene could be added to the affected cells to treat the disorder. The distinguishing characteristic of somatic engineering is that it is non-inheritable, e.g. the new gene would not be passed to the recipient’s offspring.
Germline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germline) engineering would change genes in eggs, sperm, or very early embryos. This type of engineering is inheritable, meaning that the modified genes would appear not only in any children that resulted from the procedure, but in all succeeding generations. This application is by far the more consequential as it could open the door to the perpetual and irreversible alteration of the human species.
This would probably actually take generations before the desired results could be achieved, but this is television and almost anything is possible with Sci-Fi. Besides, there is a chance that some of our Lost characters were DHARMA test subjects when they were young.
There are two techniques researchers are currently experimenting with:
Viruses are good at injecting their DNA payload into human cells and reproducing it. By adding the desired DNA to the DNA of non-pathogenic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathogen) virus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus) (a pathogen is something that harms you. A non pathogenic virus is still a virus by definition, but will not cause you to get sick), a small amount of virus will reproduce the desired DNA and spread it all over the body.
Manufacture large quantities of DNA, and somehow package it to induce the target cells to accept it, either as an addition to one of the original 46 chromosomes, or as an independent 47th human artificial chromosome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_artificial_chromosome).
VIRUS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus#Applications)
Life sciences
Viruses are important to the study of molecular (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_biology) and cellular biology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_biology) as they provide simple systems that can be used to manipulate and investigate the functions of cells. The study and use of viruses have provided valuable information about many aspects of cell biology. For example, viruses have simplified the study of genetics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics) and helped human understanding of the basic mechanisms of molecular genetics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_genetics), such as DNA replication (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_replication), transcription (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcription_%28genetics%29), RNA processing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_processing), translation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translation_%28genetics%29), protein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein) transport, and immunology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunology).
Geneticists (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics) regularly use viruses as vectors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_%28biology%29) to introduce genes into cells that they are studying. This is useful for making the cell produce a foreign substance, or to study the effect of introducing a new gene into the genome. In similar fashion, virotherapy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virotherapy) uses viruses as vectors to treat various diseases, as they can specifically target cells and DNA. It shows promising use in the treatment of cancer and in gene therapy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_therapy)
Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and repair of mutations
In some viruses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus) DNA appears in a non-helical, single-stranded form. Because many of the DNA repair (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_repair) mechanisms of cells work only on paired bases, viruses that carry single-stranded DNA genomes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genome) mutate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation) more frequently than they would otherwise. As a result, such species may adapt more rapidly to avoid extinction
Mittlewerk: "We all know what happened, the Dharma Initiative failed. And in spite of every effort of the Foundation, we are gripped in the tyranny of those six Numbers. We have tried to change those values by manipulating the environment in many, many ways. We have done our level best, and yet, this inscrutable equation keeps bringing us back to the Numbers. So now, we have to take radical action, and I just want to tell all of you that I trust you to do what is best. The villagers of Falam and Bitu ilami have allowed us to test our vaccine on them. They think they're infected with a virus carried by a local macaque, and they believe we are bringing them the cure. So when you go in, you have to keep up the story. You know it by heart. Don't waiver. When the deaths begin, we must comfort everyone with compassion and empathy, and the bodies of the dead must be brought back to this station immediately for full genetic workup. We must be absolutely certain that we are hitting precise genetic targets we have engineered into the virus. The optimum mortality rate is 30%. Our operatives at the Vik Institute have verified this figure. More or less people succumb, we have failed. We need not take any more lives than is absolutely necessary."
(trainee raises hand to ask question)
Mittlewerk: "Yes?"
Trainee: "But Tom, these are people, innocent human beings and we just can't…"
Mittlewerk: "If you knew with mathematical certainty that you could end all famine, war and poverty…What would you do? Exactly. You'd find the best way to get it done. Precisely, surgically, without allowing for any more suffering than is absolutely necessary. (sigh) It is not fair that innocents have to die so that we can perfect this virus, but I promise you, someone is going to help.
How can one justify sacrificing 30% of a group of people so that one can perfect a virus? Maybe if they believe that sacrificing 30% of the population is the only way to save 70% of the human race, then they might be able to justify their actions. The survivors of the vaccine/virus would show a change somewhere in their DNA sequence. The bodies of the dead would be brought back for a full genetic work up to determine why the vaccine/virus did not cause a change in the DNA and resulted in death. A 30% death rate was confirmed as the optimal percentage by the operatives at the Vik Institute. “It is not fair that innocents have to die so that we can perfect this virus…” Just a thought, but what if the Hanso Foundation is interested in the victims’ organs. THF does have a history of organ harvesting. Perhaps they began by testing the effects of the virus on live organs and now need to compare the results to the organs of those who did not survive.
According to Dr. Armand Zander, there were mathematicians and autistic savants at the Vik Institute who were secretly running an equation. (Transcript (http://www.losttv-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=773467&postcount=936)) (Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMS-S0wms6c))
We learned from a caller on a DJ Dan Podcast that the Valenzetti Equation is a mathematical algorithm that applies statistical probability to predict the future of mankind. (Transcript (http://www.losttv-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=778281&postcount=516)) I believe that Mittlewerk had these scientist and savants running many different types of algorithms in an effort to find a way to change the variables of the Valenzetti Equation. The solution was found by focusing on Evolutionary algorithms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_algorithm), a type of genetic algorithm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_algorithm).
We know from the 1980 SWAN Orientation Video that the DHARMA Initiative was active in studying meteorology (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Meteorology), psychology (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Psychology), parapsychology (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Parapsychology), zoology (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Zoology), electromagnetism (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Electromagnetism), and Utopian social(?). The SWAN Station itself was originally “constructed as a laboratory, where scientists could work to understand the unique electromagnetic fluctuations emanating from this sector of the island. Not long after the experiments began, however, there was... an 'incident'...” It is later revealed that the incident involved the leaking of electromagnetic energy/radiation. A new procedure was put into place whereby the occupants of the Swan Hatch were required to input the numbers into the microprocessor every 108 minutes.
Why was the DHARMA Initiative studying electromagnetism and how would this help them find a solution to the end of the human race? According to Wikipedia, “The electromagnetic force (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_force) is the one responsible for practically all the phenomena one encounters in daily life, with the exception of gravity. Roughly speaking, all the forces involved in interactions between atoms can be traced to the electromagnetic force acting on the electrically charged protons and electrons inside the atoms. This includes the forces we experience in "pushing" or "pulling" ordinary material objects, which come from the intermolecular forces between the individual molecules in our bodies and those in the objects. It also includes all forms of chemical phenomena, which arise from interactions between electron orbitals.”
Honestly, they could have been studying electromagnetism for any number of reasons. However, I think that the research performed by DHARMA on electromagnetism may have been their downfall.
Many studies have been done on the effect the electromagnetic field has on human beings. According to this document (http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet56/oet56e4.pdf), “…scientific laboratories in North America, Europe and elsewhere have reported certain biological effects after exposure of animals ("in vivo") and animal tissue ("in vitro") to relatively low levels of RF radiation. These reported effects have included certain changes in the immune system, neurological effects, behavioral effects, evidence for a link between microwave exposure and the action of certain drugs and compounds, a "calcium efflux" effect in brain tissue (exposed under very specific conditions), and effects on DNA.” Here is a website (http://www.wave-guide.org/library/studies.html#sar) that has a chart listing some of the biological effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. It is important to remember that any studies that have been done on the effects of electromagnetic fields will not factor in the high levels of electromagnetic energy on our LOST island, no two studies have produced the same results, and those studies truly cannot tell us what kind of effect the level of electromagnetic energy on the LOST island has on humans, animals, flora, and the environment.
If DHARMA was also trying to use viruses to change the DNA of humans, and the electromagnetic field of the island is extremely high, then the EMF could have mutated the virus into something extremely dangerous.
On the Blast Door Map, there is a notation that says:
"Aegrescit medendo"
English translation(s): "The disease worsens with the treatment" or "The remedy makes the disease worse" or "The remedy is worse than the disease" or "He becomes ill by being cured"I am convinced that what we are supposed to take away from the ARG to explain some of the mythology of the show is:
1) Why was DHARMA was assembled and sent to the island?
2) What exactly is the sickness and what does the vaccine do?
I think that the goal of DHARMA, Hanso, and now Mittlewerk is to evolve the human race through genetic engineering.
"In 1962, only thirteen years ago, the world came to the brink of nuclear war. The United States and the Soviet Union almost fulfilled the promise of mutual assured destruction. A promise they continue to foster through a destructive Cold War. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, both nations decided to find a solution. The result was the Valenzetti Equation. Commissioned under the highest secrecy through the UN Security Council, the equation is the brainchild of the Italian mathematician Enzo Valenzetti. It predicts the exact number of years and months before humanity extinguishes itself. Whether through nuclear fire, chemical and biological warfare, convention warfare, pandemic, overpopulation (film glitch) His results are chilling, and attention must be paid. Valenzetti gave numerical values to the core environmental and human factors in his equation, 4 8 15 16 23 and 42. Only by manipulating the environment, by finding scientific solutions to all of our problems we may be able to change those core factors, and give humanity a chance to survive. Although the equation has been buried by those who commissioned it, (film damaged at this point) panic. It has always been my belief that we ignore all warnings at our own peril, and thus the Dharma Initiative was born. DHARMA is an acronym for Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications. It also stands for the one true way. And through your research you will help humanity.
The end of humanity has been foretold of by all religions and civilizations for thousands of years. I believe that the Valenzetti Equation does exactly what it is reported to do. It predicts the exact date that the human race will become extinct. This event will happen regardless of the cause. It will not matter if the end will be caused by natural or man made events, what matters is that the end date is DEFINITE and UNPREVENTABLE. Because the United Nations knew it could not prevent this event and they understood that if this information was leaked to the general public, mass hysteria would ensue, they chose to bury the equation and its findings. “Although the equation has been buried by those who commissioned it, (film damaged at this point) panic.”
After spending decades providing munitions to many resistance groups around Europe during WWII and developing advanced weapons systems for NATO, Alvar Hanso developed a conscious, or maybe just a fear of death, and decided to use his power, influence, and money to privately fund the DHARMA Initiative and find a solution to the upcoming extinction of the human race. He assembled the brightest scientists and tasked them with finding a way to prevent the destruction of the human race before the date prophesied by the Valenzetti Equation. The solution they came up with was to attempt to modify the environmental or human factors that resulted in each value. If one or more of the variables could be changed, then it might be possible for the human race to escape extinction. The problem is that these core environmental and human factors of the Valenzetti Equation are FIXED values. Thus the result of the equation, the date of the end of the human race, cannot be changed.
Alvar Hanso tells us in the DHARMA Initiative Orientation Film of 1975 that “Valenzetti gave numerical values to the core environmental and human factors in his equation, 4 8 15 16 23 and 42.” However, we DO NOT know exactly how these numbers were defined or what they represent. Continuing with the environmental and human factors theme, I would like to propose something similar to this (I am not really serious about any of these except 23):
4 = There are four seasons in a calendar year. There are four natural forces of the universe which have an effect on everything: gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force. There are also four evolutionary forces: natural selection (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection), genetic drift (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_drift), mutation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation) and gene flow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_flow).
8 = There are eight basic directions on a compass
15 = ?
16 = There are sixteen different personality types in the Myers-Briggs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs) classification system.
23 = Human DNA has 23 pairs of chromosomes. There are also 23 chromosomes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosome) in a human germline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germline) cell. The earth's axis is tilted at a 23.4 degree angle.
42 = 42° is the critical angle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_angle) of refraction by water - it is the angle between a rainbow and the antisolar point. The light leaving a rainbow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow) is spread over a wide angle, with a maximum intensity around 42°
I believe that Hanso and the DHARMA Initiative began by trying to manipulate the ENVIRONMENTAL factors. I believe that after several years of trying to change the core ENVIRONMENTAL values of the equation without success, Hanso and DHARMA decided to try to change the core HUMAN values. I would like to propose that the solution to the extinction of the human race on the date predicted by the Valenzetti Equation is to change the human core value of 23 (which would correspond to the number of pairs of chromosomes in the human DNA sequence), thus EVOLVING the human race. The method they came up with, (and the method which Mittlewerk is still trying to use), is to attempt to change the human DNA sequence. The Hanso Foundation is using genetically altered viruses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus) to alter the human DNA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA) sequence.
See also: Human Genetic Engineering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genetic_engineering), Human Enhancement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Enhancement), and Life Extension (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_extension).
Human Genetic Engineering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genetic_engineering)
The Process
There are two main types of genetic engineering. Somatic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatic) modifications involve adding genes to cells other than egg or sperm cells. For example. if a person had a disease caused by a defective gene, a healthy gene could be added to the affected cells to treat the disorder. The distinguishing characteristic of somatic engineering is that it is non-inheritable, e.g. the new gene would not be passed to the recipient’s offspring.
Germline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germline) engineering would change genes in eggs, sperm, or very early embryos. This type of engineering is inheritable, meaning that the modified genes would appear not only in any children that resulted from the procedure, but in all succeeding generations. This application is by far the more consequential as it could open the door to the perpetual and irreversible alteration of the human species.
This would probably actually take generations before the desired results could be achieved, but this is television and almost anything is possible with Sci-Fi. Besides, there is a chance that some of our Lost characters were DHARMA test subjects when they were young.
There are two techniques researchers are currently experimenting with:
Viruses are good at injecting their DNA payload into human cells and reproducing it. By adding the desired DNA to the DNA of non-pathogenic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathogen) virus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus) (a pathogen is something that harms you. A non pathogenic virus is still a virus by definition, but will not cause you to get sick), a small amount of virus will reproduce the desired DNA and spread it all over the body.
Manufacture large quantities of DNA, and somehow package it to induce the target cells to accept it, either as an addition to one of the original 46 chromosomes, or as an independent 47th human artificial chromosome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_artificial_chromosome).
VIRUS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus#Applications)
Life sciences
Viruses are important to the study of molecular (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_biology) and cellular biology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_biology) as they provide simple systems that can be used to manipulate and investigate the functions of cells. The study and use of viruses have provided valuable information about many aspects of cell biology. For example, viruses have simplified the study of genetics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics) and helped human understanding of the basic mechanisms of molecular genetics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_genetics), such as DNA replication (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_replication), transcription (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcription_%28genetics%29), RNA processing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_processing), translation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translation_%28genetics%29), protein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein) transport, and immunology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunology).
Geneticists (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics) regularly use viruses as vectors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_%28biology%29) to introduce genes into cells that they are studying. This is useful for making the cell produce a foreign substance, or to study the effect of introducing a new gene into the genome. In similar fashion, virotherapy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virotherapy) uses viruses as vectors to treat various diseases, as they can specifically target cells and DNA. It shows promising use in the treatment of cancer and in gene therapy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_therapy)
Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and repair of mutations
In some viruses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus) DNA appears in a non-helical, single-stranded form. Because many of the DNA repair (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_repair) mechanisms of cells work only on paired bases, viruses that carry single-stranded DNA genomes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genome) mutate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation) more frequently than they would otherwise. As a result, such species may adapt more rapidly to avoid extinction
Mittlewerk: "We all know what happened, the Dharma Initiative failed. And in spite of every effort of the Foundation, we are gripped in the tyranny of those six Numbers. We have tried to change those values by manipulating the environment in many, many ways. We have done our level best, and yet, this inscrutable equation keeps bringing us back to the Numbers. So now, we have to take radical action, and I just want to tell all of you that I trust you to do what is best. The villagers of Falam and Bitu ilami have allowed us to test our vaccine on them. They think they're infected with a virus carried by a local macaque, and they believe we are bringing them the cure. So when you go in, you have to keep up the story. You know it by heart. Don't waiver. When the deaths begin, we must comfort everyone with compassion and empathy, and the bodies of the dead must be brought back to this station immediately for full genetic workup. We must be absolutely certain that we are hitting precise genetic targets we have engineered into the virus. The optimum mortality rate is 30%. Our operatives at the Vik Institute have verified this figure. More or less people succumb, we have failed. We need not take any more lives than is absolutely necessary."
(trainee raises hand to ask question)
Mittlewerk: "Yes?"
Trainee: "But Tom, these are people, innocent human beings and we just can't…"
Mittlewerk: "If you knew with mathematical certainty that you could end all famine, war and poverty…What would you do? Exactly. You'd find the best way to get it done. Precisely, surgically, without allowing for any more suffering than is absolutely necessary. (sigh) It is not fair that innocents have to die so that we can perfect this virus, but I promise you, someone is going to help.
How can one justify sacrificing 30% of a group of people so that one can perfect a virus? Maybe if they believe that sacrificing 30% of the population is the only way to save 70% of the human race, then they might be able to justify their actions. The survivors of the vaccine/virus would show a change somewhere in their DNA sequence. The bodies of the dead would be brought back for a full genetic work up to determine why the vaccine/virus did not cause a change in the DNA and resulted in death. A 30% death rate was confirmed as the optimal percentage by the operatives at the Vik Institute. “It is not fair that innocents have to die so that we can perfect this virus…” Just a thought, but what if the Hanso Foundation is interested in the victims’ organs. THF does have a history of organ harvesting. Perhaps they began by testing the effects of the virus on live organs and now need to compare the results to the organs of those who did not survive.
According to Dr. Armand Zander, there were mathematicians and autistic savants at the Vik Institute who were secretly running an equation. (Transcript (http://www.losttv-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=773467&postcount=936)) (Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMS-S0wms6c))
We learned from a caller on a DJ Dan Podcast that the Valenzetti Equation is a mathematical algorithm that applies statistical probability to predict the future of mankind. (Transcript (http://www.losttv-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=778281&postcount=516)) I believe that Mittlewerk had these scientist and savants running many different types of algorithms in an effort to find a way to change the variables of the Valenzetti Equation. The solution was found by focusing on Evolutionary algorithms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_algorithm), a type of genetic algorithm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_algorithm).
We know from the 1980 SWAN Orientation Video that the DHARMA Initiative was active in studying meteorology (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Meteorology), psychology (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Psychology), parapsychology (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Parapsychology), zoology (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Zoology), electromagnetism (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Electromagnetism), and Utopian social(?). The SWAN Station itself was originally “constructed as a laboratory, where scientists could work to understand the unique electromagnetic fluctuations emanating from this sector of the island. Not long after the experiments began, however, there was... an 'incident'...” It is later revealed that the incident involved the leaking of electromagnetic energy/radiation. A new procedure was put into place whereby the occupants of the Swan Hatch were required to input the numbers into the microprocessor every 108 minutes.
Why was the DHARMA Initiative studying electromagnetism and how would this help them find a solution to the end of the human race? According to Wikipedia, “The electromagnetic force (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_force) is the one responsible for practically all the phenomena one encounters in daily life, with the exception of gravity. Roughly speaking, all the forces involved in interactions between atoms can be traced to the electromagnetic force acting on the electrically charged protons and electrons inside the atoms. This includes the forces we experience in "pushing" or "pulling" ordinary material objects, which come from the intermolecular forces between the individual molecules in our bodies and those in the objects. It also includes all forms of chemical phenomena, which arise from interactions between electron orbitals.”
Honestly, they could have been studying electromagnetism for any number of reasons. However, I think that the research performed by DHARMA on electromagnetism may have been their downfall.
Many studies have been done on the effect the electromagnetic field has on human beings. According to this document (http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet56/oet56e4.pdf), “…scientific laboratories in North America, Europe and elsewhere have reported certain biological effects after exposure of animals ("in vivo") and animal tissue ("in vitro") to relatively low levels of RF radiation. These reported effects have included certain changes in the immune system, neurological effects, behavioral effects, evidence for a link between microwave exposure and the action of certain drugs and compounds, a "calcium efflux" effect in brain tissue (exposed under very specific conditions), and effects on DNA.” Here is a website (http://www.wave-guide.org/library/studies.html#sar) that has a chart listing some of the biological effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. It is important to remember that any studies that have been done on the effects of electromagnetic fields will not factor in the high levels of electromagnetic energy on our LOST island, no two studies have produced the same results, and those studies truly cannot tell us what kind of effect the level of electromagnetic energy on the LOST island has on humans, animals, flora, and the environment.
If DHARMA was also trying to use viruses to change the DNA of humans, and the electromagnetic field of the island is extremely high, then the EMF could have mutated the virus into something extremely dangerous.
On the Blast Door Map, there is a notation that says:
"Aegrescit medendo"
English translation(s): "The disease worsens with the treatment" or "The remedy makes the disease worse" or "The remedy is worse than the disease" or "He becomes ill by being cured"I am convinced that what we are supposed to take away from the ARG to explain some of the mythology of the show is:
1) Why was DHARMA was assembled and sent to the island?
2) What exactly is the sickness and what does the vaccine do?
I think that the goal of DHARMA, Hanso, and now Mittlewerk is to evolve the human race through genetic engineering.