Consciousness = The Hard Problem.
Space. Time. Truth. Math. Physics. Quantum Mechanics. Quantum Biology. Origin of Life… Penrose, Lucas, Hameroff, NASA et al. (500+ Refs)
Mechanism? Function? Physics? Biochemistry? Biology?
In Wikipedia 22+ models cited: A wide range of empirical theories of consciousness have been proposed.[131][132][133] Adrian Doerig and colleagues list 13 notable theories,[133] while Anil Seth and Tim Bayne list 22 notable theories.[132]
However, primordial materials and data from NASA OSIRIS-REx space mission to Bennu provides molecular data for primordial origin and evolution of life …
Consciousness: it’s a mystery that has confounded philosophers, psychologists, and scientists throughout human history. Where does our first person sense of experience come from? One of the leading theories today comes from Stuart Hameroff, an anesthesiologist at the University of Arizona. Back in the 1990’s, he had a clandestine meeting with Nobel Prize-winning physicist Sir Roger Penrose, and together they came up with a profound – and controversial – new hypothesis that our brains construct conscious experience from quantum mechanical processes laced into the very fabric of the universe. Now 30 years later, evidence in favor of their theory is mounting thanks to incredible new findings by Director of the Arizona Astrobiology Center, Dante Lauretta, who also recently captained NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. That mission collected pristine samples from an asteroid that dates to the dawn of the solar system, and inside they’ve found clues that the quantum nature of consciousness might have preceded the formation of life on Earth. Lauretta thinks that further study could solve another great scientific mystery: the origin of life. @uarizona
00:00 Introduction 00:15 What makes your theory of consciousness the best one around? 01:35 Is consciousness noncomputational? 05:22 Is the objective reduction the superposition collapse from the subject’s side? 07:17 Is the platonic form consciousness? 07:58 How do spirituality and science mix? 13:00 How can you test this theory when consciousness is famously unobservable? 15:12 Is consciousness a driving force in creating human life? 19:33 What would you say to people who ask for proof? 22:40 Can you explain the psychedelic rings on the asteroid? 23:32 Can the psychedelic experience be explained by quantum collapses? 24:55 Have you done psychedelics, and how has that informed your thinking? 25:58 How have your theories changed the way you see the world?
REF-5. Quantum Consciousness, Microtubules & the Brain – Stuart Hameroff 07 by First Principles First
“Biology’s had a couple of billion years to figure this out, so don’t be so hasty [to deny]” — Stuart Hameroff (22:44)
Renowned neuroscientist and consciousness researcher Stuart Hameroff delves into the groundbreaking idea of quantum consciousness. He explores how microtubules, quantum coherence, and aromatic rings may play a crucial role in the formation of consciousness. Drawing on physics, biology, and cutting-edge neuroscience, Hameroff challenges traditional views of the brain, offering a new perspective on how our minds work. He also touches on the implications of this research for artificial intelligence, spirituality, and the future of quantum computing. Chapters: 0:00 Quantum Coherence in Microtubules 10:42 Quantum Mechanisms in Life 20:15 Aromatic Rings as Quantum Objects 30:40 The Basis of Consciousness 41:54 Anesthesia and Consciousness 42:42 Gaining Scientific Acceptance 45:47 The Quantum Orchestra 46:18 Wheeler’s Concept of Participatory Physics 1:08:13 Space-Time Geometry 1:18:30 The Origins of Life Through Astrobiology 1:21:14 Overcoming Scientific Resistance
Multi-level memory-switching properties of a single brain microtubule
Abstract. We demonstrate that a single brain-neuron-extracted microtubule is a memory-switching element, whose hysteresis loss is nearly zero. Our study shows how a memory-state forms in the nanowire and how its protein arrangement symmetry is related to the conducting-state written in the device, thus, enabling it to store and process 500 distinct bits, with 2 pA resolution between 1 nA and 1 pA. Its random access memory is an analogue of flash memory switch used in a computer chip. Using scanning tunneling microscope imaging, we demonstrate how single proteins behave inside the nanowire when this 3.5 billion years old nanowire processes memory-bits.
Atomic water channel controlling remarkable properties of a single brain microtubule: Correlating single protein to its supramolecular assembly
Abstract. Microtubule nanotubes are found in every living eukaryotic cells; these are formed by reversible polymerization of the tubulin protein, and their hollow bers are lled with uniquely arranged water molecules. Here we measure single tubulin molecule and single brain-neuron extracted microtubule nanowire with and without water channel inside to unravel their unique electronic and optical properties for the rst time. We demonstrate that the energy levels of a single tubulin protein and single microtubule made of 40,000 tubulin dimers are identical unlike conventional materials. Moreover, the transmitted ac power and the transient uorescence decay (single photon count) are independent of the microtubule length. Even more remarkable is the fact that the microtubule nanowire is more conducting than a single protein molecule that constitutes the nanowire. Microtubule’s vibrational peaks condense to a single mode that controls the emergence of size independent electronic/optical properties, and automated noise alleviation, which disappear when the atomic water core is released from the inner cylinder. We have carried out several tricky state-of-the-art experiments and identi ed the electromagnetic resonance peaks of single microtubule reliably. The resonant vibrations established that the condensation of energy levels and periodic oscillation of unique energy fringes on the microtubule surface, emerge as the atomic water core resonantly integrates all proteins around it such that the nanotube irrespective of its size functions like a single protein molecule. Thus, a monomolecular water channel residing inside the protein-cylinder displays an unprecedented control in governing the tantalizing electronic and optical properties of microtubule.
REF-7. Experimental Evidence No One Expected! Is Human Consciousness Quantum After All? Anton Petrov
0:00 Human consciousness and quantum mechanics 0:55 New study about tryptophan 1:30 Penrose proposes consciousness is quantum 3:30 But quantum states are difficult to produce 4:25 Stuart Hameroff explains it with microtubules and anesthesia 5:40 What is consciousness though? 7:20 Anesthesiology research is exciting 8:05 Tryptophan connection 9:25 Ok, microtubules – what are these? 10:35 Microtubules could be the source? 11:30 Disagreement with neuroscience 12:10 New proposition by Penrose and Hameroff 13:20 Basic explanation of everything 14:10 First negative experiment 15:25 Anesthesia experiment finds positive results 16:40 Recent paper shows tryptophan can create quantum effects 18:35 What this shows and why this is important 19:25 Potential medical breakthroughs?
Abstract Networks of tryptophan (Trp)─an aromatic amino acid with strong fluorescence response─are ubiquitous in biological systems, forming diverse architectures in transmembrane proteins, cytoskeletal filaments, subneuronal elements, photoreceptor complexes, virion capsids, and other cellular structures. We analyze the cooperative effects induced by ultraviolet (UV) excitation of several biologically relevant Trp mega-networks, thus giving insights into novel mechanisms for cellular signaling and control. Our theoretical analysis in the single-excitation manifold predicts the formation of strongly superradiant states due to collective interactions among organized arrangements of up to >105 Trp UV-excited transition dipoles in microtubule architectures, which leads to an enhancement of the fluorescence quantum yield (QY) that is confirmed by our experiments. We demonstrate the observed consequences of this superradiant behavior in the fluorescence QY for hierarchically organized tubulin structures, which increases in different geometric regimes at thermal equilibrium before saturation, highlighting the effect’s persistence in the presence of disorder. Our work thus showcases the many orders of magnitude across which the brightest (hundreds of femtoseconds) and darkest (tens of seconds) states can coexist in these Trp lattices.
According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, adaptations through random mutations serve an organism’s genes, the fittest genes surviving through reproductive success. How- ever, Darwin’s theory renders consciousness epiphenomenal and illusory, leaves apparent gaps in evolution, and has been questioned as its sole guiding force. For example, Kauffman (1993) has invoked principles of self-organization and nonlinear emergence in life and its evolution. But to what end? What is life evolving toward? What’s the point?
In psychology and cognitive neuroscience, purposeful conscious behavior is predicated on personal reward, on an animal or human wanting to feel good (or avoid feeling bad). Conscious feelings drive behavior, whether for im- mediate or delayed gratification, altruism (“it feels better to give than to receive”), and/or spiritual peace and content- ment. Primacy of feelings has been asserted since Epicurus in ancient Greece, Freud’s (1961) “pleasure principle” in psychiatry, and dopamine-mediated “reward” in psychol- ogy and neuroscience. Damasio (1999) has emphasized the primacy of emotional feelings, as has Panksepp (1998), and Peil (2014) who suggests they derive from a “deeper authority” which may regulate and guide our behaviors.
In philosophical terms, feelings and conscious aware- ness are composed of mental features termed qualia, whose essential nature remains a scientific mysterydwhat it is like to be (Nagel, 1974), also known as the hard problem (Chalmers, 1996). We could have been unfeeling zombies, programmed to promote our species, but without qualia and inner experience. But we do have them, and we are conscious, although how and why remain unknown.
The mainstream view in neuroscience contends con- sciousness, feelings and qualia emerge from complex computation among many simple brain neurons (Dennett, 1991; Tononi, 2012; Churchland, 2013). Such computa- tional emergencedbrain-as-computerdimplies conscious- ness appeared on earth as an adaptation of biological evolution, and may eventually be replicated in silicon. However, these views neglect the question of what life is; are based on cartoon-like abstractions of actual neurons; and fail to provide testable predictions, falsifiability, nor any semblance of experimental validation.
These failings have pushed some computationalists to- ward philosophical panpsychism, the assertion that qualia are properties of matter (Koch, 2012), or of discrete events in an experiential medium (panexperientialism, as proposed by Whitehead, 1929, 1933). Others suggest mental qualities derive from deeper, intrinsic features of the universe, fea- tures giving rise to qualia, along with matter, charge, spin, and various cosmological parameters (Penrose, 1989; Chalmers, 1996). In these views, qualia-like features pre- ceded life, perhaps encoded in reality, in the structure, or makeup of the universe described as fundamental spacetime geometry. If so, pleasurable qualia may have preceded life, and prompted its origin and evolution to optimize feelings.
However in looking inward in search of qualia, pan- psychists and panexperientialists must encounter the mysterious world of quantum mechanics, and specifically the “measurement problem,” related to the “collapse of the wave function.” At small scales, and the cutoff is seemingly variable, strange laws of quantum physics reign, eg, quantum particles exist in superposition of multiple states or locations simultaneously, described by a quantum wave function. Such superpositions are not seen in our everyday world, as efforts to measure or observe them apparently result in collapse to definite states. Why quantum super- positions are not seen is a mystery known as the mea- surement problem, which seems in some way related to consciousness.
Abstract Volatile anesthetics are currently believed to cause unconsciousness by acting on one or more molecular targets including neural ion channels, receptors, mitochondria, synaptic proteins, and cytoskeletal proteins. Anesthetic gases including isoflurane bind to cytoskeletal microtubules (MTs) and dampen their quantum optical effects, potentially contributing to causing unconsciousness. This possibility is supported by the finding that taxane chemotherapy consisting of MT-stabilizing drugs reduces the effectiveness of anesthesia during surgery in human cancer patients. In order to experimentally assess the contribution of MTs as functionally relevant targets of volatile anesthetics, we measured latencies to loss of righting reflex (LORR) under 4% isoflurane in male rats injected subcutaneously with vehicle or 0.75 mg/kg of the brain-penetrant MT–stabilizing drug epothilone B (epoB). EpoB-treated rats took an average of 69 s longer to become unconscious as measured by latency to LORR. This was a statistically significant difference corresponding to a standardized mean difference (Cohen’s d) of 1.9, indicating a “large” normalized effect size. The effect could not be accounted for by tolerance from repeated exposure to isoflurane. Our results suggest that binding of the anesthetic gas isoflurane to MTs causes unconsciousness and loss of purposeful behavior in rats (and presumably humans and other animals). This finding is predicted by models that posit consciousness as a property of a quantum physical state of neural MTs.
Abstract The crucial step in the conversion of solar to chemical energy in Photosynthesis takes place in the reaction center where the absorbed excitation energy is converted into a stable charge separated state by ultrafast electron transfer events. However, the fundamental mechanism responsible for the near unity quantum efficiency of this process is unknown. Here we elucidate the role of coherence in determining the efficiency of charge separation in the plant photosystem II reaction centre (PSII RC) by comprehensively combining experiment (two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy) and theory (Redfield theory). We reveal the presence of electronic coherence between excitons as well as between exciton and charge transfer states which we argue to be maintained by vibrational modes. Furthermore, we present evidence for the strong correlation between the degree of electronic coherence and efficient and ultrafast charge separation. We propose that this coherent mechanism will inspire the development of new energy technologies.
Abstract The crucial step in the conversion of solar to chemical energy in Photosynthesis takes place in the reaction center where the absorbed excitation energy is converted into a stable charge separated state by ultrafast electron transfer events. However, the fundamental mechanism responsible for the near unity quantum efficiency of this process is unknown. Here we elucidate the role of coherence in determining the efficiency of charge separation in the plant photosystem II reaction centre (PSII RC) by comprehensively combining experiment (two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy) and theory (Redfield theory). We reveal the presence of electronic coherence between excitons as well as between exciton and charge transfer states which we argue to be maintained by vibrational modes. Furthermore, we present evidence for the strong correlation between the degree of electronic coherence and efficient and ultrafast charge separation. We propose that this coherent mechanism will inspire the development of new energy technologies.
REF-14. Quantum Biology (wikipedia)
Abstract. Why life persists at the edge of chaos is a question at the very heart of evolution. Here we show that molecules taking part in biochemical processes from small molecules to proteins are critical quantum mechanically. Electronic Hamiltonians of biomolecules are tuned exactly to the critical point of the metal-insulator transition separating the Anderson localized insulator phase from the conducting disordered metal phase. Using tools from Random Matrix Theory we confirm that the energy level statistics of these biomolecules show the universal transitional distribution of the metal-insulator critical point and the wave functions are multifractals in accordance with the theory of Anderson transitions. The findings point to the existence of a universal mechanism of charge transport in living matter. The revealed bio-conductor material is neither a metal nor an insulator but a new quantum critical material which can exist only in highly evolved systems and has unique material properties.
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REF-16. How to Build a Quantum Supercomputer: Scaling from Hundreds to Millions of Qubits
Masoud Mohseni, Artur Scherer, K. Grace Johnson, Oded Wertheim, Matthew Otten, Navid Anjum Aadit, Yuri Alexeev, Kirk M. Bresniker, Kerem Y. Camsari, Barbara Chapman, Soumitra Chatterjee, Gebremedhin A. Dagnew, Aniello Esposito, Farah Fahim, Marco Fiorentino, Archit Gajjar, Abdullah Khalid, Xiangzhou Kong, Bohdan Kulchytskyy, Elica Kyoseva, Ruoyu Li, P. Aaron Lott, Igor L. Markov, Robert F. McDermott, Giacomo Pedretti, Pooja Rao, Eleanor Rieffel, Allyson Silva, John Sorebo, Panagiotis Spentzouris, Ziv Steiner, Boyan Torosov, Davide Venturelli, Robert J. Visser, Zak Webb, Xin Zhan, Yonatan Cohen, Pooya Ronagh, Alan Ho, Raymond G. Beausoleil, John M. Martinis
Abstract. In the span of four decades, quantum computation has evolved from an intellectual curiosity to a potentially realizable technology. Today, small-scale demonstrations have become possible for quantum algorithmic primitives on hundreds of physical qubits and proof-of-principle error-correction on a single logical qubit. Nevertheless, despite significant progress and excitement, the path toward a full-stack scalable technology is largely unknown. There are significant outstanding quantum hardware, fabrication, software architecture, and algorithmic challenges that are either unresolved or overlooked. These issues could seriously undermine the arrival of utility-scale quantum computers for the foreseeable future. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of these scaling challenges. We show how the road to scaling could be paved by adopting existing semiconductor technology to build much higher-quality qubits, employing system engineering approaches, and performing distributed quantum computation within heterogeneous high-performance computing infrastructures. These opportunities for research and development could unlock certain promising applications, in particular, efficient quantum simulation/learning of quantum data generated by natural or engineered quantum systems. To estimate the true cost of such promises, we provide a detailed resource and sensitivity analysis for classically hard quantum chemistry calculations on surface-code error-corrected quantum computers given current, target, and desired hardware specifications based on superconducting qubits, accounting for a realistic distribution of errors. Furthermore, we argue that, to tackle industry-scale classical optimization and machine learning problems in a cost-effective manner, heterogeneous quantum-probabilistic computing with custom-designed accelerators should be considered as a complementary path toward scalability.
Humble Editorial Comment:
- IF quantum mechanics is not fully understood (1) (2), THEN it is reasonable to not assume that Quantum Biology cannot function in the microtubules in cells of plants and animals, and in neurons of the human brain. In nature, we know that (i) single cell organisms exhibit survival intelligence – pain avoidance, food seeking, prey avoidance – but they have no brain, and (ii) Drosophila exhibits molecular scale olfactory sense, and (iii) fingerling salmon find their way back to hatching grounds, and (iv) birds sense magnetic fields, and (v) a plethora of practical examples of natural selection in evolution.
- Nature has had 2.5 billion years to evolve Quantum Biology for practical use- why not consciousness (?) which certainly has a survival advantage.
- Bright and Dark States of Light: The Quantum Origin of Classical Interference – Max Planck Institut et al.
- The Dark Photon Theory That Could Rewrite Quantum Physics – NASASpaceNews
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