Anthropometric Fossils: A Systematic Catalog of Human Cognitive Imprints in the International System of Units

In the paper's words

Systematic catalog of cognitive features in all seven SI base units. Counterfactual unit systems for non-human observers. Full cognitive genealogy appendix.

The abstract, verbatim, and its opening sentence is the claim. Every line below is quoted from the text.

Numbers it reports

1. A = physical phenomena (Earth's meridian, water's density, solar day) B = mathematical divisors (10^7, 86,400, 273.16) C = metrological artifacts (platinum bar, kilogram cylinder, cesium clock) D = Homo sapiens cognitive architecture (ten fingers, 60% water, ~1s heartbeat, ~310 K) The cross-ratio is invariant only because D is never varied.

   from 6. The Cross-Ratio Formalization

2. Field Detail Original definition (1795) Mass of $1 \,\mathrm{dm}^{3}$ of pure water at 4C Cognitive feature 1 Water as universal substance — 60% of human body mass Cognitive feature 2 Euclidean volume intuition — the cube as "obvious" shape Cognitive feature 3 Terrestrial climate — 4C = maximum density, relevant to lake freezing Cognitive feature 4 Hand-heft — ~1 kg is manually comparable Necessity class ALL CONTINGENT — silicon-based life would not use water 2019 audit RELOCATED — h = 6.62607015x10^-34 J*s preserves old kilogram Observer-independent $m_{e}/m_{p}$ ~ $1/1836, m_{e}/m_{\mathrm{Planck}}$ ~ 4.2x10^-23

   from UNIT 2: Kilogram (Mass)

3. Field Detail Pre-1967 definition 1/86,400 of the mean solar day Cognitive feature 1 Circadian rhythm — 24h = sleep-wake cycle Cognitive feature 2 Heartbeat — 1s ~ 1 resting pulse Cognitive feature 3 Sexagesimal inheritance — 24x60x60 = Sumerian base-60 Cognitive feature 4 Planetary rotation — tied to Earth's specific spin rate Necessity class ALL CONTINGENT — 10-hour-day planet would define very different second 2019 audit RELOCATED — Delta-nu_Cs = 9,192,631,770 Hz preserves old second Observer-independent Planck time $t_{P}$ ~ 5.39x10^-44 s; dimensionless time ratios

   from UNIT 3: Second (Time)

4. Field Detail Pre-2019 definition 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water Cognitive feature 1 Water triple point — exquisitely terrestrial (273.16 K, 611.657 Pa) Cognitive feature 2 Human temperature band — $1 \,\mathrm{K} = 1/100$ of water liquid range at 1 atm Cognitive feature 3 Atmospheric pressure — boiling point depends on pressure Necessity class ALL CONTINGENT — Titan's methane lakes would define temperature by CH4 transitions 2019 audit RELOCATED — $k_{B}$ = 1.380649x10^-23 J/K preserves old kelvin Observer-independent beta = $1/(k_{B} T)$ in natural units

   from UNIT 4: Kelvin (Temperature)

5. Field Detail Pre-2019 definition Number of atoms in 0.012 kg of carbon-12 Cognitive feature 1 Gram-to-amu bridge — 1 mole $C-12 = 12 g$ maps atomic to lab scale Cognitive feature 2 12 grams — convenient human-handling quantity Necessity class ALL CONTINGENT 2019 audit RELOCATED — $N_{A}$ = 6.02214076x10^23 preserves convention Observer-independent Direct particle count; dimensionless

   from UNIT 5: Mole (Amount of Substance)

6. Field Detail Definition (1979) Luminous intensity weighted by human photopic spectral sensitivity V(lambda), peak 555 nm Cognitive feature 1 Trichromatic cone vision — peak at 555 nm = daytime color vision Cognitive feature 2 Day-biased — cone not rod vision (~498 nm) Cognitive feature 3 Species-specific — bees see UV, snakes IR Necessity class ANATOMICALLY SPECIFIC — explicitly tied to Homo sapiens retina 2019 audit UNCHANGED — most honest SI unit Observer-independent Radiometric flux (W); species-independent

   from UNIT 6: Candela (Luminous Intensity)

How it is done

1. We compare natural unit systems (Planck, atomic, Stoney) and demonstrate that even they carry implicit observer choices.

   from Abstract

2. Measurement conventions are fossil records of the minds that created them.

   from 1. Introduction: Measurement as Fossil Record

What would falsify it

The paper's text states no explicit falsification criterion; the limits below are what it says about where the claim stops.

Where the claim stops

1. These features are invisible to us precisely because they are the medium of our thought: we cannot see base-10 any more than a fish can see water.

   from 1. Introduction: Measurement as Fossil Record

2. Ancient: Solar day divided by 24x60x60 (Sumerian base-60) 1670: Seconds pendulum proposed as length standard 1956: Ephemeris second (tropical year 1900) 1967: Cesium-133 hyperfine transition (9,192,631,770 periods) Cognitive origin: Earth rotation period / heartbeat-approximating interval

   from A.3 The Second

Where to read

1. Abstract168 words · 1 min
2. 1. Introduction: Measurement as Fossil Record101 words · 1 min
3. 2. The Seven-Fold Catalog561 words · 2 min
4. 3. The 2019 Redefinition: A Systematic Audit126 words · 1 min
5. 4. Natural Units: An Incomplete Solution57 words · 1 min
6. 5. Counter-Factual: Non-Human Unit Systems113 words · 1 min
7. 6. The Cross-Ratio Formalization58 words · 1 min
8. 7. Catalog Summary87 words · 1 min
9. Appendix: Full Cognitive Genealogy261 words · 1 min