In biology, the evidence of quantum foundations in life processes is compelling. It is certain that quantum mechanics operates at all levels of life, not solely because chemistry, which frequently features in quantum mechanics discussions, is now a subject of study at the chemistry departments of major universities worldwide. This study aims to deepen our understanding of the intricate interactions within these systems.
Indeed, over the past few decades, neuroscience has delved deeper into its subject matter. However, as is often the case, the findings have only added to the complexity—a gray matter with a perpetual question at its core: how do the action potentials coursing through neurons and the chemicals traversing between them coalesce to create BEING.
John Eccles was a pioneer in early attempts to build quantum neuroscience. We won’t mention the bias of the well-worn Nobel Prize, but he was given it for his work on the synapse, the small space between neurons through which neurochemicals flow, exciting or suppressing neighboring neurons. He demonstrated that in the cerebral cortex, incoming nerve impulses trigger the release of neurotransmitter molecules in parasympathetic neurons (i.e., exocytosis) via information transmission and “quantum selection,” which is directly related to consciousness.
“The reduction of the quantum state, or the choice of amplitudes, opens the way to a new logic, quantum logic, with its unpredictability for the event.”
Since a conscious action (e.g., intention) is a dynamic process that shapes temporal patterns in the relevant areas of the cerebral cortex, it has been suggested how the regulation of multiple synaptic switches between millions of neurons in their respective regions could be effectively regulated by a quantum trigger, which later turned out to be based on the process of electron transfer in the synaptic membrane.
After that, quantum biology began to evolve into a full-fledged science, with a wide range of coverage of everything it could reach: from quantum mechanisms (which have been shown to play an important role in photosynthesis), vision, smell, mitochondria, DNA mutations, magnetoreception, and more.
There is clear evidence that interactions of quantum nature are observed in brain proteins. We are talking about the most abundant protein in the brain (about a billion per neuron) – tubulin, which is in the form of microtubules, each of which has unique high-frequency vibrational and quantum properties due to nonpolar aromatic ring pathways. These cylindrical protein polymers are able to “process information” by performing purposeful spatio-temporal activities, determining the shape of neurons, and creating and regulating synapses.
Tubulins were thought to be the basis of memory, cognition, and consciousness. Experiments with the protein have shown that the conduction resistance in the microtubules becomes so low that it becomes an almost macroscopic quantum-like system.
It would be reasonable to assume that in order for quantum processing to play a meaningful or informational role in the brain, there needs to be a mechanism that can “store and transport quantum information in qubits over a sufficiently long macroscopic time.
Moreover, the mechanism must be able to entangle a huge number of qubits, and then translate this entanglement to higher-level chemistry to affect how neurons fire action potentials” (Ouellette, 2016). Work is in full swing, the process is underway, and new evidence suggests that the 31 P nuclear spins in Ca9(PO4)6 molecules may form the basis of the quantum mechanism of neural processing in the brain.
The fundamental requirement was that the spins in the various Ca9(PO4)6 molecules should become entangled and remain so for periods (estimated to be many hours) well beyond the typical spin relaxation times of 31 P.
As I said in the previous article, it turned out that not only chemical and physical principles, but also quantum principles apply to DNA. It turned out that quantum phenomena are active in DNA even under environmental conditions (!), and include coherent charge transfer along the overlapping pi-orbitals of DNA bases and spin selectivity created by chirality* (filters electrons according to their rotation along the DNA and, thus, is not only an indicator of quantum coherence, but can potentially affect the binding properties of DNA).
* The characteristic of a molecule that prevents it from being superimposable on its mirror image is known as chirality. This term originates from the Greek word for ‘hand,’ a familiar chiral object, as the left and right hands are mirror images of each other yet cannot be superimposed in space.
The real challenge lies in determining the boundary, considering all the data: whether it’s at the level of a single protein, a cell, or the entire brain. We believe that if the individual components possess specific properties, then the collective entity encompassing them will likely exhibit a similar character.
One of the stunning discoveries in biology was, for example, the 2007 discovery of the role of quantum mechanics in photosynthesis. Subsequent research has shown that the light absorbed by chlorophyll must be transferred to a cellular “reactor” for conversion. It has been discovered that the cell’s efficiency in transmitting light is nearly 100%, surpassing all existing technological capabilities and suggesting the existence of a quantum space that preserves the system’s coherence, enabling the cell to achieve this level of efficiency.
Quote: “Studies of two-dimensional electron spectroscopy of the bacteriochlorophyll complex FMO and obtain direct evidence of remarkably long-lived electron quantum coherence, which plays an important role in the processes of energy transfer within this system. Quantum coherence is evident in the characteristic, directly observable signals of quantum beating between excitons in the Chlorobium tepidum FMO complex at 77 K. This wave-like characteristic of energy transfer within the photosynthetic complex may explain its extreme efficiency, as it allows the complexes to select vast regions of phase space to find the most efficient path.
Accepting the evolutionist perspective, one might argue that over billions of years, nature could have addressed the “warm, moist, and noisy” conditions of the brain to sustain delicate quantum states. Niels Bohr’s work, which suggests a link between consciousness and the brain, delves deeper into this subject.
In summary, it’s important to acknowledge the profound shortcomings of physicalist theories in explaining various phenomena of consciousness, such as the sensation of the Self. Biological processes alone cannot account for an organism’s perception of itself as a unified entity. Activities like thinking, reasoning, decision-making, and sensory experiences, despite their complexity, are distinct from consciousness itself.
The concept of Will
The concept of Will, or the sensation that we possess a decision-making capability, cannot be fully explained through chemistry, physics, or biology alone. Considering the scientific perspective that the physical world is a causal system where every event is preceded by a cause, it’s challenging to understand how predetermined causal chains, the chemical processes in neurons, or any physical cause can convert potentiality into actuality by choice.
Our brain, mind, and consciousness are deeply connected with the world in an extensive superposition, collapsing the wave function into a singular state experienced as qualia, which allows one event, X, to be “perceived” as a precursor to another event, Y. Quantum mechanics introduces the concept of nondeterminism—the lack of causality or determinism—and the possibility of influencing events through will, aligning with my personal belief in the autonomy of choice, encapsulated in the phrase “You can choose for yourself, for it is given to you.”
Having tasted the Fruit of Knowledge, one may still struggle with the quasi-constructs of science to the extent of a carrot corral. Yet, even without this knowledge, it has always been clear to me that the presence of the Sem and the Channel in the world, as well as the will of humanity, capable of orchestrating anything except its relationship with the soul, seeks to comprehend the extent and placement of this connection in terms of quanta.
For instance, if you are not as I desire, but as you truly are, each person decides for themselves.
