The Mysteries of Lost: The DHARMA Initiative

The DHARMA Initiative is a scientific organisation located on the Island. DHARMA is an abbreviation of the Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications. The Initiative was setup in 1970 by Gerald and Karen DeGroot. The project received funding from Alvar Hanso. DHARMA aimed to change the mathematical equation, Vanlenzetti Equation. The equation was formed so they could predict when and how the planet would end.

Located on different parts of the Island there are stations that form the initiative. Each one of these stations focuses on a specialised field of research. We have been shown that there are at least are quarantined. So far there is no known reason why they have been quarantined. One of stations was occupied by Desmond, a guy who's' boat crashed into the Island and took over, and another station was occupied by the Others. The station are listed below in order of appearance.

The Swan - First seen in All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues

The team of scientists in this station worked on electro magnetism. More specifically they worked to understand why there was electromagnetism on the Island. Unfortunately due to an accident the Initiative was required to come up with a repetitive system of inputting the Numbers in to an old computer this had to be done every 108 minuets.

The consequence of leaving the countdown reach zero occurred three times on the show. The first time Desmond had left it too late and the surge of electromagnetism caused the flight 815 to crash into the island. The second time Locke was prevented by Jack and red hieroglyphics were shown on the counter. The third time it was left deliberately and caused it to surge again, Desmond in hopes of saving them all blows up the station.

The Arrow - First seen in Everybody Hates Hugo

This station was discovered by the survivors from the tail section of the plane. There is no information given about this station. Neither do we know anything about the research team. When The Arrow was found it had minimal lighting, and only a chest with its contents was found. This gives reason to believe that the station was abandoned before the DHARMA ended, and all of the equipment was taken out. A Bible was found in the chest and inside was a segment of the Swan Orientation film. There is no known reason for the film to split other than someone not wanting people to hear all the information.

The Staff Station - Maternity Leave

The Staff station was a medical station. The station's room consisted of a nursery and a surgery room. It seems all women that were pregnant on the Island were take to the Staff, including Claire and Sun.

When Claire was kidnapped she was taken to the Staff, where Ethan injected her with medicine that was intended to protect the baby. The nursery was a place where the Others were planning to keep the baby. Later on when Alex proved to Claire that the Others were planning on taking the baby away from her.

Sun was taken here by Juliet when she heard that all women who become pregnant on the Island die. Here Sun receives an ultrasound and is told she became pregnant on the island.

The Pearl - First seen in ?

The Pearl was an underground monitoring station. Inside were two chairs and a wall of television screens. Each of screens showed a live feed of one of the DHAMA stations. The researchers were to secretly monitor the activities taken place in the stations. Everything they observed was noted down and then sent to the DHARMA through a system of vacuum tubes. However it was shown that the notes ended up in a pile on the island.

When Locke and Mr. Eko discovered the station, only one camera was working. The camera appeared to show the Swan. Locke printed off a log which was later discovered to be a record of dates and whether the countdown in the Swan was reset or not. The two found and watched an orientation film, they were informed that everyone else were under psychological experiments. However, later on Despond considered the possibility that it was those within the Pearl who under this experiment.

The Hydra Station - First seen in A Tale of Two Cities

This station was built to study zoology; as a result it was built half on land, half underwater. So far in the series, it has been shown three species that have been studied; bears, sharks, and dolphins. The station was equipped with cages, a screen off room, and tanks to hold such animals.

The Others used this station as a base for a while. This is where Kate, Jack and Sawyer, were taken hostage and held. Kate and Sawyer were held in cages that were built to hold the bears, and Jack was held in a screen off from that possibly has been used as a tank.

The Flame - First seen in Enter 77

The Flame was used as a means of communicating with the rest of the world. The Flame contained several monitors that were linked to cameras, used Others that were allowed off the island. As well as a radio to talk to the Others once they left the island.

When Kate, Locke, and Sayid found the station, they also found Mikhail Bakunin. He claimed to have been left behind by DHARMA and was allowed to live. This turned to be false and was in fact a Hostile or Other. On a computer, that Locke found, was a game of chess upon winning Locke triggered of explosives blowing up the station.

The Looking Glass - First seen in Greatest Hits

The Looking Glass is the only station completely submerged underwater. There is no sign of any of research that was carried out their. However the equipment on the station has been used to block all signals on the island. Two members of the Others were found down there, they kept in contact with Ben via radio.
Desmond had been able to catch glimpses of the future, since the explosion of the Swan. He explained that Charlie need to go down there so that Claire could get of the island, unfortunately Desmond told Charlie that he would die. Charlie decided to go down there, so that Claire would be able to leave the island, he was able to turn of the machines, but in the end he drowned in doing so.

The Orchid Station - First seen in There's No Place Like Home

The station in is disguised as an old, greenhouse that is falling apart. The actual station, according to Ben Linus, in beneath this structure. This is where John Locke, Ben, Hurley go to move the Island. This manoeuvre of the Island has been described as unpredictable and dangerous, and therefore has not been in much use.