The idea of water having memory is primarily attributed to Jacques Benveniste.
This concept emerged from research conducted in the laboratory of French immunologist **Jacques Benveniste** in the late 1980s. The experiments suggested that highly diluted solutions, where the original substance was no longer present, could still produce biological effects. Benveniste proposed that water molecules might be able to retain a structural 'memory' of the substance they had previously been in contact with, even after vast dilution.
The initial findings, published in the journal *Nature* in 1988, were highly controversial and met with significant skepticism from the scientific community due to their challenge to established principles of chemistry and physics. Despite attempts by other researchers to replicate the results, many failed.
However, as noted in the reference, the debate surrounding the *memory of water* remained ongoing 20 years after Benveniste's initial work, with reports from an increasing number of scientists claiming they had confirmed the basic results. This indicates the persistence of the concept within certain research circles, though it remains outside the mainstream scientific consensus.
Key points regarding the origin of this idea include:
- The concept arose in the laboratory of **Jacques Benveniste**.
- This occurred specifically in the late 1980s.
- The idea posits that water retains properties of substances even after extreme dilution.
- The reference highlights that the debate continued for decades, with claims of confirmation from other scientists.
