Photo copyright © 2004 ABC, Inc. /
Mario Perez
Inside a DHARMA Initiative bunker. See more Lost pictures.

Editor's note: The Lost Experience alternate-reality game uncovered new clues. What follows are our theories from the first two seasons of Lost. If you have not seen these episodes, this article contains spoilers.

For such a secretive organization, the DHARMA Initiative has left lots of evidence of its activities. Not only has it populated an island with territorial polar bears and sharks, it has defended its territory with a menacing monster that looks deceptively like black smoke.

Details about the group are a little sketchy. But it's pretty clear that members of the DHARMA Initiative -- or perhaps a group of its test subjects -- have made a habit of kidnapping and murder. This group, known as the Others, has threatened, intimidated and killed survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, which went down en route to Los Angeles, California from Sydney, Australia. For whatever reason, no one thought to ask the Others who they are or what they want.

So, who are the Others, and what do they want? How are they related to the DHARMA Initiative? What do they have to do with the black smoke, the polar bears and the bunkers scattered around the island? In this article, you'll learn about the DHARMA Initiative, its history and what might be going on at its island research center.

One-Eyed, One-Armed
Much of the available information about the DHARMA Initiative and Alvar Hanso comes from an orientation video. Doctor Marvin Candle narrates the video, and his lab coat and tie change during the film. The most logical explanation is that filming took place on more than one day. Something more sinister could be afoot. Dr. Candle's prosthetic left hand adds to people's suspicion. Some believe that Dr. Candle has a glass eye -- the same eye the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 found in an abandoned bunker.

The DHARMA Initiative started as an ambitious science project in the 1970s. Its founders, Gerald and Karen DeGroot, aspired to create a large island research compound. They planned the construction of six underground and underwater research stations.

The stipends of two PhD students, even if used wisely, couldn't possibly cover the cost of building and maintaining such a large facility. So the DeGroots turned to Alvar Hanso and the Hanso Foundation. Since the 1960s, the Foundation "has offered grants to worthy experiments designed to further the evolution of the human race and provide technological solutions to the most pressing problems of our time."


Photo copyright © 2004 ABC, Inc. / Mario Perez
This Dharma Initiative station was originally built to study electromagnetic phenomena.

Hanso has funded research on:

Hatori Hanzo,
or Han Solo?
Alvar Hanso is of no relation to famed sword maker Hatori Hanzo -- his name really bears more resemblance to Han Solo's. The HowStuffWorks staff prefers to believe this is a coincidence, not an indication that the DHARMA Initiative has anything to do with midi-chlorians.

  • Life extension
  • Electromagnetism
  • Extra-terrestrial intelligence
  • Mathematical forecasting
  • Cryogenics
  • Juxtapositional eugenics
  • Psychic remote viewing
Some of these experiments have been successful. In 2005, the Foundation celebrated the 105th birthday of an orangutan called Joop. Joop had been the subject of life-extension experiments. Orangutans typically live to be only 60 years old, so the Foundation declared the experiment a success. It did not disclose whether the orangutan acquired other skills, such as the ability to read or run a library.

Not long after, though, the Global Health Organization (GHO) reported an outbreak of meningococcal disease in villages near the Foundation's Zanzibar research center. According to classified documents retrieved from the GHO, tests suggested that the disease originated in monkeys. The GHO theorized that it jumped the simian/human barrier and ordered the Foundation to terminate its operations. Although the GHO later reversed its decision, the event made Joop's longevity controversial. The Foundation's sizeable contribution to the GHO's defense fund also may have affected this reversal. It is still unclear whether Hanso Foundation experiments created or led to the spread of the disease.


Photo copyright © 2004 ABC, Inc. / Mario Perez
The DHARMA Initiative compound also includes a
medical facility.

Hanso's donation to the GHO and his research funding came from money from weapon sales. During World War II, he provided munitions to various European resistance groups. After the war, he provided high-tech armaments to NATO.

The DHARMA Initiative's distinctive name and logo seem to be at odds with funding from an arms dealer. We'll look at how in the next section.

Other Relationships
The Hanso Foundation and the DHARMA Initiative also appear to have relationships with Whidmore Industries and the now-defunct Oceanic Airlines. Exactly how these organizations affect one another is currently unclear, but the connections between the inhabitants of the island and the Whidmore family are numerous.