Remember when Sayid saw the statue with four toes when he while he was sailing by in the boat? Here is my theory: The dharma initiative is indeed running an experiment, but it is not psychological or sociological. It has to do with evolution of Humans and Animals. One of the next big evolutional changes that Humans are supposed to go through is the loss of their pinky toe. This was the toe that the statue was missing. Coincidence?

Consider this: To a certain extent it explains what the others are doing on the island. They were there for an experiment at one time, maybe for a different one. Maybe they were even part of a different experiment all together, and theirs was actually sociological. It also explains what the animals are doing there. Dharma not only wants to evolve humans, but animals as well. Maybe the island has qualities that speed up evolution. Rose is magically healed from the island? Or is it something more scientific and concrete?