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Understanding consciousness and how it fits in the universe is a perennial puzzle for decades. Some call it the holy grail of science.
Quantum physics is able to describe the atomic and subatomic level particles and their properties in ways never before understood, and science is beginning to understand a possible link.
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Modern science is hesitant to talk about consciousness due to it opening a pandora’s box, putting their previously ‘bulletproof’ theories under suspicion.
Quantum Theory had a similar ‘uh oh’ moment when it was found that the behaviour of atomic level particles changes when we (a conscious observer) are looking at it, or not. This is known as the Observer Effect.
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Physicists argue that objectivity might as well be an illusion, and consciousness has to be put in the picture of its worldview.
The two puzzles of Science, Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics, might as well be closely related, with one arising because of the other.
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An advanced version of the double-slit experiment by Physicist John Wheeler in the 70s made things even more interesting.
He proved that the mere intention or planning of measuring an outcome of the path of light changes its behaviour as if it knows that a conscious entity is planning to look at the outcome.
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The 1994 book Shadows Of The Mind by physician Stuart Hameroff suggests that the neurons of our brain and most of our cells contain protein strands called microtubules which may be responsible for quantum-level cognition. However, this process is easily nullified by its interaction with the surrounding environment and is known as decoherence.
The fact that the nerve signals or electrical impulses have interaction possible at the quantum level in the brain and is easily destroyed by outside influence, runs parallel to the earlier ‘Double-Slit’ experiment.
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Various experiments and studies on diverse subjects like bird migration and green plants show signs of natural quantum-level effects in nature, including our brain and cells.
Certain molecules called ‘Posner molecules’ can resist the decoherence for a short while, influencing how the brain works at a quantum level.
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Certain drugs like Lithium can treat mental disorders, like bipolar disorder, due to it affecting the neural networks of the brain, something that wasn’t known previously.
Many factors bring us to the intriguing idea that the brain’s neural network and quantum mechanics are closely related, and consciousness is imbibed inside, making science finally encounter consciousness at the unlikeliest place.
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The phenomena of telekinesis and telepathy fall in line with the almost supernatural communication between atoms.
Scientists are wary to explain consciousness, build a theory around it, or even mention it alongside quantum physics and the idea of 'Quantum Consciousness' is disturbing for many, and is regarded as 'mystical woo'.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that science is now reluctantly encountering consciousness, something it had long avoided.
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Despite the advances in science over the past century, our understanding of nature is still limited. Scientists still don't know what the vast majority of the universe is made up of or how cons...
"Mysterian" thinkers give an important role to biological arguments and analogies.
Late philosopher Jerry Fodor argued that there are bound to be thoughts we are unable to think. Similarly, philosopher Colin McGinn claimed that all minds suffer from "cognitive closure" about particular problems. Just as animals will never understand prime numbers, so human brains are unable to consider some of the world's wonders.
Mysterians present the question of cognitive limits in fixed terms: either we can solve a problem, or we will never be able to.
A possibility that eludes mysterians is one of slowly diminishing returns. We keep slowing down, even as we exert more effort, and there is no point where progress becomes impossible.
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Many insights of Albert Einstein are now part of popular imagination: black holes, time warps, and wormholes show up in movies and books.
Less famous, but probably the most revolutionary pa...
The most fundamental aspects of nature stay the same.
For example, Einstein's papers on relativity show that the relationship between energy and mass is invariant, even though energy and mass can take on many different forms.
Even though matter produces energy, the energy-matter content of the universe never changes. Matter and energy are less fundamental than the underlying relationship between them.
We often think of things as the heart of reality. But most often the relationship is more important, not the stuff.
We may think "stuff" like space and time are unchangeable aspects of nature. In reality, the relationship between space and time stays the same.
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Teleportation is the idea in which we step into a sort of scanner and instantaneously find ourselves somewhere else.
There are two ways this can'(t) be done: physical deconstruction at x and...
Recently, scientists were able to "teleport" photons to a satellite 300 miles away, using "quantum entanglement." This is where a pair of photons are able to simultaneously share the same state, even when separated by distance. Change the state of one particle, and the other changes too.
Teleportation can have big implications for a new “quantum internet.” It will be faster, more powerful, unhackable.
Scientists are still working out how to teleport photons. Assuming they figure out how to teleport atoms, then molecules, the amount of bits to record and transmit, is unthinkable.
A person is made of an estimated 32 trillion cells. They would require a huge bandwidth and roughly 10th gigawatt-hours of power. Teleporting one person would require using the entire UK power supply for more than a million years and take 4.8 million million years to transfer - that is if you survive the transfer. It would be quicker to walk.