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Conduction pathways in microtubules, biological quantum computation, and consciousness
Stuart Hameroff1, Alex Nip, Mitchell Porter
1Department of Anesthesiology and Psychology, Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. hameroff@u.arizona.edu
Bio Systems
|January 5, 2002
Summary
This study explores quantum effects in biological systems, specifically within cellular microtubules. Researchers found evidence for electron mobility and quantum tunneling in tubulin proteins, suggesting a role for quantum computation in biological information processing.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Quantum Biology
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Proteins function as fundamental information units ('bits') in biological systems, with their conformational states potentially governed by quantum events.
- Microtubules (MTs), polymers of tubulin, regulate cellular activities and have shown potential for classical and quantum information processing.
- The Penrose-Hameroff 'Orch OR' model proposes quantum computation in MTs as a basis for consciousness.
Observation:
- Evidence suggests protein conformational states may function as quantum bits ('qubits').
- Microtubules exhibit signaling, communication, and conductivity.
- Theoretical models predict both classical and quantum information processing within microtubules.
Findings:
- This paper identifies conduction pathways for electron mobility within tubulin proteins.
- The study presents evidence for quantum tunneling and superconductivity among aromatic amino acids in tubulin.
- These pathways align with microtubule lattice helical patterns, suggesting topological quantum effects resistant to decoherence.
Implications:
- The findings support the hypothesis that biological systems, particularly microtubules, may utilize quantum computation.
- This research opens avenues for understanding biological information processing at the quantum level.
- It provides a potential biophysical basis for models of consciousness involving quantum effects in the brain.