Experiment Suggests That Consciousness May Be Rooted in Quantum Physics

A controversial theory suggests quantum effects in the brain could explain consciousness may hold more weight than scientists gave it credit for. In the 1990s, it was suggested that microtubules, hollow tubes that form the “skeletons” of plant and animal cells, could allow for a breakdown in the structure of space-time that interrupts quantum superposition. This breakdown of superpositions then allows consciousness to exist, the theory known as Orchestrated objective reduction (Orch OR) has been gaining new traction lately. In one recent experiment, a team led by Jack Tuszynski at the University of Alberta in Canada found that anesthetic drugs allow microtubule to re-emit trapped light in a much shorter time than originally thought. . . .