A sceptic might say that the fact these microtubules are too large, by a
factor of three, to hold any quantum information in the first place
ought to leave the whole theory dead in the water, yet it keeps coming
back to life.....
Near-death experiences occur when the soul leaves the nervous system and
enters the universe, claim two quantum physics experts
* Ground-breaking theory holds that quantum substances form the soul
* They are part of the fundamental structure of the universe
By Damien Gayle
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Damien+Gayle\
>
[Life after death: Dr Stuart Hameroff, Professor Emeritus at the
University of Arizona, advanced the theory on a television documentary]
Life after death: Dr Stuart Hameroff, Professor Emeritus at the
University of Arizona, advanced the theory on a television documentary
A near-death experience happens when quantum substances which form the
soul leave the nervous system and enter the universe at large, according
to a remarkable theory proposed by two eminent scientists.
According to this idea, consciousness is a program for a quantum
computer in the brain which can persist in the universe even after
death, explaining the perceptions of those who have near-death
experiences.
Dr Stuart Hameroff, Professor Emeritus at the Departments of
Anesthesiology and Psychology and the Director of the Centre of
Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona, has advanced the
quasi-religious theory.
It is based on a quantum theory of consciousness he and British
physicist Sir Roger Penrose have developed which holds that the essence
of our soul is contained inside structures called microtubules within
brain cells.
They have argued that our experience of consciousness is the result of
quantum gravity effects in these microtubules, a theory which they
dubbed orchestrated objective reduction (Orch-OR).
Thus it is held that our souls are more than the interaction of neurons
in the brain. They are in fact constructed from the very fabric of the
universe - and may have existed since the beginning of time. The
concept is similar to the Buddhist and Hindu belief that consciousness
is an integral part of the universe - and indeed that it is really all
there may be, a position similar to Western philosophical idealism.
With these beliefs, Dr Hameroff holds that in a near-death experience
the microtubules lose their quantum state, but the information within
them is not destroyed. Instead it merely leaves the body and returns to
the cosmos.
[Shocked back to life: The theory holds that when patients have a near
death experience their quantum soul is released from the body and
re-enters the cosmos, before returning when they are revived]
Shocked back to life: The theory holds that when patients have a near
death experience their quantum soul is released from the body and
re-enters the cosmos, before returning when they are revived
Dr Hameroff told the Science Channel's Through the Wormhole documentary:
'Let's say the heart stops beating, the blood stops flowing, the
microtubules lose their quantum state.
'The quantum information within the microtubules is not destroyed, it
can't be destroyed, it just distributes and dissipates to the universe
at large.
'If the patient is resuscitated, revived, this quantum information can
go back into the microtubules and the patient says "I had a near death
experience".'
He adds: 'If they're not revived, and the patient dies, it's possible
that this quantum information can exist outside the body, perhaps
indefinitely, as a soul.'
The Orch-OR theory has come in for heavy criticism by more empirically
minded thinkers and remains controversial among the scientific
community.
MIT physicist Max Tegmark is just one of the many scientists to have
challenged it, in a 2000 paper that is widely cited by opponents, the
Huffington Post reports.
Nevertheless, Dr Hameroff believes that research in to quantum physics
is beginning to validate Orch-Or, with quantum effects recently being
shown to support many important biological processes, such as smell,
bird navigation and photosynthesis
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2225190/Can-quantum-physi\
cs-explain-bizarre-experiences-patients-brought-brink-death.html#ixzz2An\
twKqkR
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2225190/Can-quantum-phys\
ics-explain-bizarre-experiences-patients-brought-brink-death.html#ixzz2A\
ntwKqkR>
