[Lal]

I came across the following YouTube video this morning:

• In this video, Federico Faggin — physicist-turned-inventor and early AI pioneer — discusses a transformative experience that changed the course of his life. That was an out-of-the-body experience (similar to the Near-Death-Experience or NDE; see “Near-Death Experiences (NDE): Brain Is Not the Mind“) he had several years ago.
• This adds to the mounting evidence that consciousness does not arise in the brain.
• He has also written a book, ‘Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature’ (2024). I have not read the book.

[Christian]

I also found other interesting theories that I think are on the edge of pseudoscience. I made a summary of that information (I’m researching this topic a bit deeper):

Hameroff proposes that consciousness is quantum information stored in microtubules (structures inside neurons). When the body dies, this quantum information isn’t destroyed; it leaks out into the fundamental geometry of space-time. This provides a scientific framework for near-death experiences (NDEs) and the concept of a soul.

Hameroff discusses the OSIRIS-REx mission (led by his colleague Dante Loretta). He suggests that life and consciousness might be fundamental to the universe, potentially arriving on Earth via organic molecules found in asteroids. He posits that “protoconsciousness” existed in the universe before biological life even began.

Hameroff is pioneering research using Transcranial Ultrasound (TUS). He explains that Alzheimer’s is caused by the breakdown of microtubules. By “vibrating” them back into a healthy state with ultrasound, his studies show potential for reversing memory loss and cognitive decline.

Contrary to standard medical teaching that anesthesia acts on neuron membranes, Hameroff argues it acts specifically on the quantum vibrations of microtubules. He explains that during anesthesia, the brain remains active and “processing,” but the subjective experience of consciousness is turned off because the quantum process is dampened

Developed with Nobel Laureate Sir Roger Penrose, this theory suggests consciousness is not a “computation” (like a computer) but a series of “quantum collapses” in the brain that connect us to the fine-scale structure of the universe.

Hameroff argues that current AI is just “fancy math” based on binary switches. Because it lacks the quantum microtubule structures found in biology, he believes AI can simulate intelligence but will never actually “feel” or have subjective awareness.

Research by physicist Anirban Bandyopadhyay at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan provided a boost to this theory. He discovered that microtubules exhibit high-frequency resonance (megahertz, gigahertz, and terahertz vibrations). This suggests that microtubules aren’t just structural; they are “vibrating” in a way that allows them to process information much faster than traditional neuronal firing.

If consciousness happens at the microtubule level, the “processing power” of the human brain increases by a factor of 10²⁷ compared to the standard neuron-only model. This would explain why single-celled organisms (like Paramecium) can swim, find food, and mate without having a single neuron—they use their microtubules.

The Orch-OR theory provides a scientific (though controversial) hypothesis for what happens to consciousness at the moment of death.

• Planck Scale Information: Penrose argues that consciousness is a property of the Planck scale—the smallest, most fundamental level of the universe’s geometry.
• The Leakage Hypothesis: According to Hameroff, when the heart stops and blood stops flowing, the microtubules lose their quantum state (a process called decoherence). However, the quantum information inside them isn’t destroyed. Because of “quantum entanglement,” this information leaks out into the universe at large.
• NDEs (Near-Death Experiences): Hameroff suggests that if a patient is resuscitated, this quantum information “leaks back in,” which explains why people report out-of-body experiences or seeing their lives flash before them. If the patient dies, this information exists indefinitely as part of the fundamental fabric of space-time.

  Supporting Evidence from “Quantum Biology”

  The biggest criticism of this theory was once that the brain is “too warm, wet, and noisy” for quantum effects to survive. (Usually, quantum states require absolute zero temperatures). However, recent discoveries in other fields have proven that nature uses quantum tricks in warm environments:

  • Photosynthesis: Research has shown that plants use “quantum coherence” to transfer sunlight into energy with nearly 100% efficiency. They essentially “test” all possible paths for the energy at once.
  • Bird Navigation: It is widely accepted that some birds (like European Robins) navigate using quantum entanglement in their eyes, allowing them to literally “see” the Earth’s magnetic field.
  • The Argument: If a leaf and a bird’s eye can use quantum mechanics at room temperature, it is highly probable that the human brain—the most complex structure in the known universe—has evolved to do the same.

  Mainstream Critiques (The “Anti-Soul” View)

  It is important to note that this theory is heavily debated.

  • Max Tegmark: A well-known physicist from MIT, Tegmark published a paper arguing that quantum states in the brain would “decohere” (break down) in less than a trillionth of a second—far too fast to account for human thought.
  • The Mainstream Consensus: Most neuroscientists believe consciousness is an “emergent property” of complex wiring. They argue that once the brain’s physical structure is gone, the “software” (consciousness) simply ceases to exist, much like a candle flame going out.

   

   

 

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