The West

One interesting thing about the western part of America are the surface grates in the open range cross roads. It prevents free-range cattle from wandering onto busy highways or private property. 

The cattle will not step onto the grate for fear of getting their hoofs caught in the small open spaces between the iron bars.

I had dinner once with Rupert Sheldrake the British biochemist, plant psychologist and prolific author. He was telling me about “morphic resonance and morphic fields” a theory whereby plants and animals and even humans inherit the habits of their species as instincts.

One example, through his research, was the surface cattle grates of western roads. Sheldrake discovered that because of a shared instinct passed from generation to generation the cattle will not walk over what even looks like a grate. In an experiment they painted a grate on the roadway and cattle would not cross it.

Fascinating stuff. Check out his website: 

www.sheldrake.org/homepage.html