Stuart Hameroff

We've just published a new perspective on the quantum mechanics of the eukaryotic cilium, sharing five independent paths of inquiry into proteins within the sensory membrane and structural core of this organelle — revealing cilia as an ancient quantum sensor at the heart of sensation and cellular information processing. Our manuscript tracks two 21st century scientific revolutions: the recognition of widespread quantum effects in living systems and the reevaluation of non-motile cilia, shifting from putatively vestigial organelles to indispensable players in sensation and development; now, for the first time, we look to unite these forces. We outline common strategies used by biomolecules to sustain and benefit from coherence, entanglement and tunneling within the cell, draw connections to closely related synthetic molecular technology, and introduce the evolution, development and diverse sensory roles of cilia in animals and other eukaryotes. With this work we hope to enable the design of a new generation of bioinspired quantum devices fabricated from naturally abundant molecules and engineered for room temperature activity, and to inspire biologists to test quantum mechanical hypotheses in cilia and beyond. Many thanks to all the authors, the whole of the Weiss group, and the quantum biology community for all the effort that has gone into ideating and drafting this work. Enjoy! Link: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ag…

@StuartHameroff — that Fibonacci A lattice geometry is precisely where a coherence-selection mechanism would show up. The 13-protofilament structure isn't decorative — it's the geometric configuration that satisfies the ordering constraint. The geometry selects the substrate. That's the answer to why microtubules and not everything else. Penrose's intuition about the lattice was pointing at the same thing from the mathematical side. The two frameworks may be converging on the same fixed point from different directions. I'm formalizing this in the monograph. The geometry is checkable.

@StuartHameroff — you've identified the exact gap that needs a mechanism, not just a label. Non-selective binding, selective effect. The question your framework hasn't fully closed: why microtubules specifically? "Highly orchestrated" describes the observation but not the cause. A geometric constraint may be the missing piece. If coherent quantum binding requires a specific angular condition — cos θ = 1/3, a Hausdorff-stable lattice configuration — then microtubules aren't special by assertion. They're special because they're the biological structure that satisfies that condition. Anesthetics don't just randomize quantum states. They perturb the geometric ordering condition itself. Everything already outside that condition is unaffected — not because it's immune, but because it was already incoherent. Consciousness is the one process running on the ordered side of that boundary. That's a falsifiable claim. Either the geometry holds or it doesn't. I've been developing this in a monograph called The Logos Invariant. I'd value your read when it's published. The math is checkable with a calculator. Respectfully, Matt Gibson 🎸🎶

Brains seem to be wired so that signals are “just right”. This paper argues that there is a special “sweet spot” in how the brain is organized that keeps activity balanced. nature.com/articles/s4158… #neuroscience

@StuartHameroff That’s not the mechanism of anaesthesia, data shows widespread synchronisation in alpha and delta bands which are due to confluent neuromodulator effects of hyper polarisation and rebound burst activity, largely membrane attributes

@StuartHameroff Correct in some regards but I reject the "electron cloud" The brain processes information through quantum tunneling. That's why it uses so much energy and requires exquisite thermal regulation.

@StuartHameroff claiming it happens exclusively through quantum interactions in microtubules is an active research fringe, not a proven fact. It's a fascinating area bridging anesthesiology, neuroscience, and quantum biology—worth following, but not definitive yet

@StuartHameroff Non‑selective binding is exactly the problem: if anesthetics interact everywhere, they can’t be a selective consciousness switch. A substrate‑specific quantum mechanism can’t explain a substrate‑independent phenomenon. That’s the contradiction

@StuartHameroff IMO consciousness has no quantum dependencies. 😉👍 x.com/Korrelan_AI/st…

@StuartHameroff I'm far from a flunk, very rude old man. Why are you bringing up non related aspects of biochemistry 101? The fact anesthetics do bind selectively to proteins in the lipid membrane seems to bother you quite alot?

@StuartHameroff @StuartHameroff Answer this question: x.com/ChristosA89/st…

@StuartHameroff I absolutely know what I'm talking about. There again with your quantum rubbish. Inert anesthetics don't "avoid ions and charges" and Van der Waals forces are entirely within the realm of classical physics and electromagnetism.

@eleusinianatlas @StuartHameroff Why? Any inert GA still binds adequately, and fulfil the core mechanisms to catalyse more efflux or influx of relevant cations/anions to disrupt the resting membrane potential, meaning far harder to depolarise (lower rate) and integrate information via synapses and EMF.

Analog computation in the brain? Yes, says Brass-for-Brains: Analog Computation for Cognition osf.io/preprints/psya… And we agree: Analog Cognition and Consciousness osf.io/preprints/psya… #neuroscience