Finally, our two research papers on this fascinating subject were accepted for publication within a day of one another. No, we’ve not proved that blood can flow in the absence of cardiac pumping, but we’ve found something in the lab that bears on that question.

When we immerse a straw-like tube in water, we find that water flows axially through the tube, like blood in a vessel. If flows almost ceaselessly. This occurs in the absence of any kind of pump. The only energy available for driving the flow is the electromagnetic energy drawn from the environment and absorbed by the water. When light is added to increase that energy, we observe faster flow. Ultraviolet light is particularly effective, increasing the flow rate by four to five times.

We think the phenomenon might play a role in driving blood through capillaries. Capillaries are often smaller than the red cells that must pass through; consequently those cells must squirm their way through. Resistance is appreciable, and help is therefore welcome. Since external light energy drives flow through tubes, it may also help drive flow through those capillaries. We plan to test this hypothesis soon. The flow phenomenon is amply described in the new water book.