Here’s a fascinating discussion into how Quantum effects translate into the macro-world of biology.
I admit, I’ve despised most of the lip flapping I’ve heard about Quantum effects in the macro world, because the talk was always so disjointed, just so, assumption up the wazoo, self-questioning not in evidence. And,… I started this video with a bit of attitude and a chip on my shoulder. But I listened, sitting patiently through the introduction, kept on listening because somehow something was resonating within me, (rather that the red flags that usually litter the field by this point). As I continued listening, I enjoyed a few ah-ha moments and the whole notion made a little more sense than it ever has before.
Though they are presenting something radically different from the usual mumbo-jumbo. This one has to do with actual Physical Reality,
I’m curious if anyone decides to listen to this, whether they are as impressed as I am?
World Science Festival
Sep 17, 2015
Can the spooky world of quantum physics explain bird navigation, photosynthesis and even our delicate sense of smell? Clues are mounting that the rules governing the subatomic realm may play an unexpectedly pivotal role in the visible world. Join leading thinkers in the emerging field of quantum biology as they explore the hidden hand of quantum physics in everyday life and discuss how these insights may one day revolutionize thinking on everything from the energy crisis to quantum computers.
(The World Science Festival gathers great minds in science and the arts to produce live and digital content that allows a broad general audience to engage with scientific discoveries. Our mission is to cultivate a general public informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.)
You can see my fascination with “microtubules”, the nano scale information processors which for one thing facilitate cell mitosis in biological systems. Microtubules are a common denominator of ALL Eukaryotic organisms and even in a simpler form in some Prokaryotic organisms.
Keyword is “nano scale information processors” which may well be able to process quantum objects in biological systems This is the hypothesis of Stuart Hameroff (anesthesiologist) in collaboration with Roger Penrose, but also by Giulio Tononi in regard to quantum consciousness… These are new and even promising hypotheses which may shed light on biological quantum processes.
I dare say it's similar to my fascination with this pot of water on our wood stove that I keep refilling with our very hard well water.
Wonderful formations, including rather long tubules. Of course, mineral accretions so differ… -
Well, perhaps I should say it’s the same, but different
That’s what blow me away about people there are so so many fascinating meaningful layers of our reality to spend out time getting to know and appreciation - but billions spend trillion$ consumed with reading and watching fantasy, which is basically the same f’n stories that the Greeks built humanity’s first stage drama’s. Like football, I mean I love a good game as much as anyone, but watch that non-stop flood of them, doesn’t it get mind numbing?
The recent discovery of quantum vibrations in microtubules inside brain neurons appears to corroborate claims that consciousness derives from deeper-level, finer-scale activities inside brain neurons. The eminent mathematical physicist Sir Roger Penrose in the 1990s suggested that quantum vibrational computations in microtubules were “orchestrated” (“Orch”) by synaptic inputs and memory stored in microtubules. They may be the seat of stored information that neurons (and glia exchanges) intermediate. Moreover, in a new development it is thought that Microtubule quantum vibrations (e.g. in the megahertz frequency range) appear to interfere and produce much slower EEG “beat frequencies.”In Consciousness in the universe: A review of the 'Orch OR' theory, Penrose and Hameroff suggest, “Consciousness depends on anharmonic vibrations of microtubules inside neurons, similar to certain kinds of Indian music, but unlike Western music, which is harmonic."
How cool and weird! Only I am less interested in the mystical implications about roots of consciousness than whether this nails in “intracellular computing” as a major part of brain function.
Like football, I mean I love a good game as much as anyone, but watch that non-stop flood of them, doesn’t it get mind numbing?
I do also, but it is a purely American sport and has limited variety.
Now that we have big time MLS (Major League Soccer) in the US, I can really recommend this wonderful entertaining sport to all who are interested in watching a purely mathematical game, which rests on “live” ball control, without being allowed to handle the ball .
It is one of those sports that’s easy to learn but incredibly difficult to master. But now that we have world class players playing for our clubs, the ever increasing crowds of 50-70 thousand spectators is well warranted. It is the worlds most popular sport and for a good reason.
Christian Pulisic became the most expensive American soccer player in history after completing a transfer to English club Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. Chelsea paid 64 million euros ($73 million) for the 20-year-old United States winger, who will be loaned back to Dortmund for the rest of this season.Jan 2, 2019
This is the new breed of US soccer players.
p.s. the US National woman’s soccer team are world champions and is a favorite sport for female and male spectators.
The recent discovery of quantum vibrations in microtubules inside brain neurons appears to corroborate claims that consciousness derives from deeper-level, finer-scale activities inside brain neurons.
Wow, new to me. Folds within Folds of harmonics constructive complexity flowing down the stream of time.
Great discussion. I had it on while working, so I didn’t absorb too much. I’m surely not going to take a side in this discussion. I understand tunneling just a little better now. They didn’t spend too much time on it, but seemed in agreement that the small variations that quantum physics introduces are partly an explanation for evolution.
It is human terms “intelligence” and “consciousness” that are immediately associated with human intelligence and consciousness.
As I have posted many times, mathematical functions (mathematical constants) always give an appearance of “motive” or conscious “intent”, and is fundamentally the basis for Theism, but what is overlooked that these physical causal actions do not need conscious intent, but are a result of abstract quasi-intelligent mathematical functions based on the interactions of relative values of the constituent physical parts.
H2O is not an consciously designed molecular pattern. It is a result of the mathematical interactions of the four fundamental forces based on the relative interactive potentials of Hydrogen and Oxygen atoms. The beauty is that this is a self-organizing pattern and is one of the essential ingredients of living organisms.
But nothing miraculous. It’s just mathematical patterns.
An interesting question; Do plants possess intelligence?
Darwin and other scientists thought so.
So let’s assume for a moment that brainless plants do have a bio-chemical sensory awareness of their environment. What would give plants this ability?
In context of this thread; Might microtubules have a role to play in plant intelligence?
Are there microtubules in plant cells?
Yes there are, by the millions, billions, trillions, depending on the size of the organism…
The self-organization of plant microtubules inside the cell volume yields their cortical localization, stable alignment, and sensitivity to external cues
In plants, microtubules form superstructures before (the preprophase band) , during (the spindle) and after (the phragmoplast) cell division. Plant microtubules also form dense and organized arrays at the periphery of the cell during interphase [1] and these arrays are known as cortical microtubules (CMTs).20 Feb 2018
Now consider this discussion by people who have done actual experimentation.
The microtubule network is a typical example of a self-organizing system, where properties of individual elements and their interactions induce specific and sometimes counter-intuitive global properties. To predict how regulation at the level of each microtubule can give rise to specific global outcomes, one can resort to computational models. Modeling approaches have been developed, simplifying microtubule interactions by restricting them to the plasma membrane, i.e. a simpler 2D space [40, 46].
In those agent-based models, several microtubule properties were coded and interactions between CMTs, based on these properties, were simulated. The outcome is an emergent network, whose characteristics can be analyzed. For instance, increased microtubule severing was predicted to generate a larger number of free microtubules, more amenable to bundle into aligned arrays [9, 42] and this was observed in experiments [47].
In view of the fact that most vertical plants branch out in accordance with the Fibonacci sequence, is it reasonable to ask if microtubules behave in accordance with natural mathematical guiding principles?
