Mark Allen
2.7K posts


Groundbreaking study suggests that consciousness may arise from quantum processes in brain microtubules, linking mind to universal physics.
Recent experimental work from Wellesley College provides compelling evidence that consciousness could stem from quantum phenomena within the brain, potentially tying human awareness to the fundamental laws governing the universe.
Led by neuroscientist Mike Wiest and involving undergraduate researchers, the study examined rats under isoflurane anesthesia—a common inhaled gas used to induce unconsciousness.
The team administered epothilone B, a drug that stabilizes microtubules (tiny tube-like protein structures inside neurons), to one group while leaving another untreated. Results showed that rats receiving the microtubule stabilizer took significantly longer—on average about 69 seconds—to lose their righting reflex (a behavioral indicator of unconsciousness), with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.9). This delay implies the anesthetic acts, at least partly, by binding to and disrupting microtubules, interfering with their role in maintaining awareness.
The findings revive and support the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) theory, proposed decades ago by physicist Roger Penrose and anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff. Orch OR posits that consciousness emerges not from classical neural firing alone but from quantum computations—specifically, orchestrated collapses of quantum superpositions—in microtubules. These structures, previously dismissed by critics as too warm and noisy for delicate quantum effects to persist, now appear capable of hosting such states, as the stabilization experiment directly counters anesthetic-induced loss of consciousness.
If validated further, this would challenge purely classical models of the brain as a sophisticated but non-quantum computer. Instead, it suggests the mind operates via quantum processes at the cellular level, potentially connecting subjective experience to deeper quantum realities of spacetime and gravity (as Penrose's objective reduction mechanism involves). Such a link could bridge neuroscience with quantum physics, offering explanations for phenomena like unified perception, non-computable insight, and the "hard problem" of why physical processes feel like something.
While the research does not prove quantum consciousness outright, it provides the first strong behavioral evidence that microtubules are a key target for anesthetics and that their integrity is crucial for awareness. Ongoing work, including follow-up papers by Wiest in 2025, continues to build the case, reigniting debate and inspiring new experiments to test quantum effects in the warm, wet brain environment.
[Khan, S., et al. (including Wiest, M. C.). (2024). "Microtubule-Stabilizer Epothilone B Delays Anesthetic-Induced Unconsciousness in Rats." eNeuro, 11(8). DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0291-24.2024]

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Supermarket shelves could soon be empty, Britain's fruit and vegetable growers warn
gbnews.com/news/iran-late…
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@Rainmaker1973 What happens when a small inflatable dinghy enters British waters… nothing.
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@AngryBritain Prices go up immediately and take weeks to come down when oil becomes cheaper.
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@BBCWalesNews Sentence doesn’t fit the crime. The country has gone down the sh 1 tt.er.
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I was punched in the face for driving at 20mph bbc.in/4bgMIbX
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@Turbinetraveler I saw this also at Church Fenton once. Service pilots following rules… nah.
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@BROKENBRITAIN0 What you’re saying doesn’t make sense at all. Selling energy helps Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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@ZackPolanski When a nuke is launched and it renders just one city uninhabitable then ‘worldwide’ economies and law and order will break down systematically. Please think carefully before sending such a ridiculous post.
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These aircraft should not be allowed to land on British Soil.
Over 1000 civilians dead already after illegal war started by the US and Israel - and all this with no vote in the UK parliament about our role.
Charlie Peters@CDP1882
The first of several American B-1 heavy bombers has landed at RAF Fairford today after Keir Starmer gave the US permission to use British bases for strikes on Iran
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@paulmasonnews @Keir_Starmer Good old flip flop Starmer. Doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going. Hopefully going.
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In the next 25 years @Keir_Starmer 's decision to reject Trump's demand we join a war with no clear purpose, for the sake of the Special Relationship, will be seen as historic. This was a decision where Britains values and interests aligned✊🇬🇧🚩

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@frax_excel @Keir_Starmer Yeah they’re his secret binoculars he’s going to use to spot the next howler this government seems to find in everything they do.
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"There is no doubt that this is a hammer blow to Labour"
Sky's political editor @BethRigby says Sir Keir Starmer is now "fighting on both flanks" after his party came in third behind the Greens and Reform.
trib.al/60cRksQ
📺 Sky 501 & YouTube
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I am concerned to hear of the incident at Manchester Central Mosque last night. I know this will be worrying for Muslim communities, especially during Ramadan, a time of peace and reflection.
My thanks go to the volunteers and emergency services for their quick response.
We have provided up to £40 million funding for additional security at mosques, Muslim schools and community centres, and will continue to act to ensure communities are able to live without fear.
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@10DowningStreet Gas lighting yet again. No apologies for the pun!
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@TNLUK I can’t update my new debit card details on the app or online. We need a new Operator.
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@implausibleblog Lots of gas lighting by Labour. They think we are all stupid.
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Loving my job. Had a @BritishArmy veteran on my ambulance today from The Queen’s Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) telling me about his time in the army. He told me he saved 37 British soldiers lives in Jordan. When I asked how he told me he shot the cook😂
The old ones are the best!

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