Rupert Sheldrake

Biologist & Parapsychology Researcher · Perrott-Warrick Fund / Independent

Cambridge biologist who proposed morphic resonance and conducted the most rigorous controlled experiments on telephone telepathy and the sense of being stared at in the published literature.

consciousnessnonlocal

At a glance

Area of work

Cambridge biologist who proposed morphic resonance and conducted the most rigorous controlled experiments on telephone telepathy and the sense of being stared at in the published literature.

Methods

Double-blind randomized trials · Pre-specified protocols · Video monitoring · Telephone telepathy paradigm with randomized caller selection

Limits and debate

Critics argue that his telepathy and staring experiments allow methodological flaws — including inadequate blinding and sensory leakage — that could explain results without psi. Independent laboratories have not consistently replicated his findings. His morphic resonance theory is considered unfalsifiable by most mainstream biologists.

This summarizes the researcher's work. It is not a finding that any theory of consciousness or survival has been proven.

Overview

Sheldrake holds a PhD from Cambridge and was a Research Fellow of Clare College before proposing morphic resonance in 1981 — the idea that nature has a kind of memory, with forms and behaviors shaped by cumulative habits rather than fixed physical laws. The book was famously called "the best candidate for burning" by Nature editor John Maddox. Sheldrake subsequently focused on more testable psi claims: in 4,000+ telephone telepathy trials, subjects identified the correct caller (from four options) at rates significantly above 25% chance. His staring experiments and research on dogs anticipating owners' return (monitored by continuous video) added to a body of controlled work that is peer-reviewed but outside mainstream acceptance.