The Cosmic Serpent
![]() Penguin paperback cover, showing symbolic correspondence between an image of a snake and DNA
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Author | Jeremy Narby |
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Original title | Le serpent cosmique, l'ADN et les origines du savoir |
Language | French |
Publisher | Georg |
Publication date
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1998 |
Published in English
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1998 |
Media type | |
Pages | 257 |
ISBN | 2-8257-0495-4 |
OCLC | 34122475 |
Followed by | Intelligence in Nature |
The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge is a 1998 non-fiction book by anthropologist Dr. Jeremy Narby.
Research[edit]
Narby performed two years of field work in the Pichis Valley of the Peruvian Amazon researching the ecology of the Asháninka, an indigenous peoples in Peru.
Hypothesis[edit]
Investigating the connections between shamanism and molecular biology, Narby hypothesizes that shamans may be able to access information at the molecular level through the ingestion of entheogens, specifically ayahuasca.[1] Biophysicist Jacques Dubochet criticized Narby for not testing his hypothesis.[1]
Documentary[edit]
Narby and three molecular biologists revisited the Peruvian Amazon to try to test the hypothesis, and their work is featured in the documentary film, Night of the Liana.[2]
Further reading[edit]
- Posner, Michael. article, "Plants with Soul", [1]. The Walrus, Jul/Aug 2006.
- Shanon, Benny. (2002). Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-925292-0
- Stewart, Todd. "The Cosmic Serpent: An interview with Jeremy Narby" in ascent magazine. Issue 03. 1999.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Narby, Jeremy (2006). Intelligence in Nature. Penguin. pp. 1–2, 149–150. ISBN 1-58542-399-8.
- ^ Grant, John (2006). Discarded Science. Sterling Publishing. pp. 285–286. ISBN 1-904332-49-8.
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