Human Consciousness Stan Lees Superhumans Miroslaw Magola 3

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The quantum
mind or quantum consciousness group of hypotheses propose that classical
mechanics cannot explain consciousness. It posits that quantum mechanical
phenomena, such as quantum entanglement and superposition, may play an
important part in the brain's function

Can Quantum
Physics Explain Consciousness?

A new
approach to a once-farfetched theory is making it plausible that the brain
functions like a quantum computer.

The mere
mention of \u201cquantum consciousness\u201d makes most physicists cringe, as the phrase
seems to evoke the vague, insipid musings of a New Age guru. But if a new
hypothesis proves to be correct, quantum effects might indeed play some role in
human cognition. Matthew Fisher, a physicist at the University of California,
Santa Barbara, raised eyebrows late last year when he published a paper in
Annals of Physics proposing that the nuclear spins of phosphorus atoms could
serve as rudimentary \u201cqubits\u201d in the brain\u2014which would essentially enable the
brain to function like a quantum computer.

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As recently
as 10 years ago, Fisher\u2019s hypothesis would have been dismissed by many as
nonsense. Physicists have been burned by this sort of thing before, most
notably in 1989, when Roger Penrose proposed that mysterious protein structures
called \u201cmicrotubules\u201d played a role in human consciousness by exploiting
quantum effects. Few researchers believe such a hypothesis plausible. Patricia
Churchland, a neurophilosopher at the University of California, San Diego,
memorably opined that one might as well invoke \u201cpixie dust in the synapses\u201d to
explain human cognition.

Fisher\u2019s
hypothesis faces the same daunting obstacle that has plagued microtubules: a
phenomenon called quantum decoherence. To build an operating quantum computer,
you need to connect qubits\u2014quantum bits of information\u2014in a process called
entanglement. But entangled qubits exist in a fragile state. They must be
carefully shielded from any noise in the surrounding environment. Just one
photon bumping into your qubit would be enough to make the entire system
\u201cdecohere,\u201d destroying the entanglement and wiping out the quantum properties
of the system. It\u2019s challenging enough to do quantum processing in a carefully
controlled laboratory environment, never mind the warm, wet, complicated mess
that is human biology, where maintaining coherence for sufficiently long
periods of time is well nigh impossible.

Over the
past decade, however, growing evidence suggests that certain biological systems
might employ quantum mechanics. In photosynthesis, for example, quantum effects
help plants turn sunlight into fuel. Scientists have also proposed that
migratory birds have a \u201cquantum compass\u201d enabling them to exploit Earth\u2019s
magnetic fields for navigation, or that the human sense of smell could be
rooted in quantum mechanics.

Fisher\u2019s
notion of quantum processing in the brain broadly fits into this emerging field
of quantum biology. Call it quantum neuroscience. He has developed a
complicated hypothesis, incorporating nuclear and quantum physics, organic
chemistry, neuroscience and biology. While his ideas have met with plenty of
justifiable skepticism, some researchers are starting to pay attention. \u201cThose
who read his paper (as I hope many will) are bound to conclude: This old guy\u2019s
not so crazy,\u201d wrote John Preskill, a physicist at the California Institute of
Technology, after Fisher gave a talk there. \u201cHe may be on to something. At
least he\u2019s raising some very interesting questions.\u201d

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