Biofield science's first discovery was in embryology as an underlying informational template to explain the developmental process. Histologist Dr. Alexander Gurwitsch defined a morphogenetic field to describe the highly coherent and dynamic process that appeared to be guiding development of the unfolding embryo as well as biological regeneration. Gurwitsch also observed ultraviolet light emission during a cell division research study which he termed mitogenetic radiation, now known as biophotonic energy.

Biofield science is firmly grounded in physics. The discovery of a particular form of energy is associated with four types of force: gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. Most important to living systems are the electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic energies associated with electromagnetic force.