Is consciousness to be found in quantum processes in microtubules?

[Write4U]

A little animation of MT regulated mitosis

https://www.biologyexams4u.com/2012/11/microtubules-structure-and-function.html#.X9VlwEVKjb0

 

[Write4U]

Review|Evolution|August 22 2011
The evolution of the cytoskeleton
https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201102065
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The cytoskeleton is a system of intracellular filaments crucial for cell shape, division, and function in all three domains of life. The simple cytoskeletons of prokaryotes show surprising plasticity in composition, with none of the core filament-forming proteins conserved in all lineages. In contrast, eukaryotic cytoskeletal function has been hugely elaborated by the addition of accessory proteins and extensive gene duplication and specialization. Much of this complexity evolved before the last common ancestor of eukaryotes. The distribution of cytoskeletal filaments puts constraints on the likely prokaryotic line that made this leap of eukaryogenesis.

In this review, we discuss the relationships between the major components of the bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic cytoskeletons. We compare the function of filaments in these three groups and also interrogate the distribution of key components across the tree of life. Finally, we examine what can be inferred with respect to the origins of cytoskeletal components and discuss the means by which the simple prokaryotic cytoskeleton might have evolved into the elaborate system of filaments, motors, and accessory proteins that is characteristic of the eukaryotic cell......much more

https://rupress.org/jcb/article/194/4/513/54654/The-evolution-of-the-cytoskeletonThe-evolution-of

 

[Write4U]

Microtubules, in vitro
Dan L. Sackett, ... Naomi S. Morrissette, in Methods in Cell Biology, 2010

VII Summary

Tubulins are highly conserved proteins found in all eukaryotes, and tubulin dimers from diverse organisms have similar biochemical properties such as GTPase activity, assembly and disassembly properties, and polymer structure.

Historically, the bulk of the work characterizing tubulin structure and biochemistry has focused on tubulin from neural sources. Although the high degree of amino acid conservation among α- and β-tubulins allows researchers to draw parallels between vertebrate brain tubulin properties and tubulins from other sources, there are examples of differences in amino acid sequences between tubulin types that impart distinct drug sensitivities or permit specific functions such as construction of the flagellar apparatus.

Moreover, in order to understand how tubulin mutations, changes in isoform levels, or PTMs affect the properties of a tubulin population, it is essential to purify tubulin from specific sources to compare its behavior to that observed with the omnipresent brain tubulin samples. The protocol and variations presented here are intended to assist researchers to develop protocols that can be optimized to purify tubulin from diverse nonneural sources for such studies

From a biophysical perspective, this variability adds complexity that is difficult to disentangle. Most of the chemical variation in tubulin is located at the C-terminal end of both subunits (also known as E-hook due to the abundance of glutamates). Interestingly, this low-complexity region, expected to be unstructured and highly extended, is dispensable for self-assembly.29 In fact, removal of this region by proteolytic cleavage with subtilisin facilitates microtubule assembly and tubulin association into alternative polymer forms.30,31 This region of about a dozen residues is very highly negatively charged and presumably inhibits tubulin self-assembly due to electrostatic repulsion. However, this tubulin segment appears to be essential for binding of most (if not all) MAPs,32 many of which interact with tubulin via positively charged regions and generally facilitate microtubule assembly.

Such facilitation can be partly mimicked by divalent cations,33 supporting the idea that screening of the negative charges in tubulin's C-terminal tails favors tubulin self-association. In summary, most of the chemical diversity of native, mammalian αβ-tubulin can be eliminated by cutting off the C-terminal residues of the tubulin monomers, with a positive effect on self-association but at the expense of eliminating binding by many cellular partners.......more..

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/tubulin#

 

[Write4U]

Update;
JANUARY 16, 2014

Discovery of quantum vibrations in 'microtubules' corroborates theory of consciousness

A review and update of a controversial 20-year-old theory of consciousness published in Physics of Life Reviews claims that consciousness derives from deeper level, finer scale activities inside brain neurons. The recent discovery of quantum vibrations in "microtubules" inside brain neurons corroborates this theory, according to review authors Stuart Hameroff and Sir Roger Penrose. They suggest that EEG rhythms (brain waves) also derive from deeper level microtubule vibrations, and that from a practical standpoint, treating brain microtubule vibrations could benefit a host of mental, neurological, and cognitive conditions.

..........

Orch OR was harshly criticized from its inception, as the brain was considered too "warm, wet, and noisy" for seemingly delicate quantum processes. However, evidence has now shown warm quantum coherence in plant photosynthesis, bird brain navigation, our sense of smell, and brain microtubules. The recent discovery of warm temperature quantum vibrations in microtubules inside brain neurons by the research group led by Anirban Bandyopadhyay, PhD, at the National Institute of Material Sciences in Tsukuba, Japan (and now at MIT), corroborates the pair's theory and suggests that EEG rhythms also derive from deeper level microtubule vibrations.

In addition, work from the laboratory of Roderick G. Eckenhoff, MD, at the University of Pennsylvania, suggests that anesthesia, which selectively erases consciousness while sparing non-conscious brain activities, acts via microtubules in brain neurons.

.....

After 20 years of skeptical criticism, "the evidence now clearly supports Orch OR," continue Hameroff and Penrose. "Our new paper updates the evidence, clarifies Orch OR quantum bits, or "qubits," as helical pathways in microtubule lattices, rebuts critics, and reviews 20 testable predictions of Orch OR published in 1998 – of these, six are confirmed and none refuted."

https://phys.org/news/2014-01-discovery-quantum-vibrations-microtubules-corroborates.html

 

[Write4U]

Octopus Arms Have Minds of Their Own
By: Andrea Michelson , January 14, 2020

Octopuses are capable of some amazing things. But did you know their arms literally have minds of their own? Learn more about a new study that has determined exactly how those little brains make decisions.

The octopus has 500 million neurons, but more than half of them are found outside of the animal's brain — well, outside of its main brain. Each of the octopus's arms has a small cluster of nerve cells that controls movement, so the creature technically has eight independent mini-brains along with a larger central brain.

Researchers have known about the octopus's unique biology for some time now. Past studies have shown that severed octopus arms can respond to stimuli an hour after being separated from the central brain, reaching, grasping, and even attempting to move food towards a mouth that's no longer there.

What's new is a detailed video model that demonstrates how octopus arms make decisions. The model, created by a research team at the University of Washington, shows the flow of information between the octopus's suckers, arms, and brain — and it turns out that some information bypasses the central brain entirely.

Lead author Dominic Sivitilli described the process as an "arm-up" decision mechanism, meaning that neurons in octopus arms can take in sensory information from their environment, then initiate a motor response without consulting the central brain. Having eight additional neural centers processing incoming stimuli allows the octopus to think and react faster, which gives the animal an evolutionary advantage.

https://www.discovery.com/science/Octopus-arms

Analysis of Microtubules in Isolated Axoplasm from the Squid Giant Axon

One obstacle to characterizing specific populations of neuronal microtubules is the complexity of nervous tissue. Separating neuronal microtubules from glial microtubules, dendritic microtubules from axonal or cell body microtubules is effectively impossible when using brain tissue as a source, so any studies on the biochemistry and biophysics of neuronal microtubules from brain reflect the properties of a mixed pool. The problem is compounded by the fact that a large fraction of neuronal tubulin is lost during standard preparations of brain tubulin and this population of stable microtubules has received little attention, despite representing more than 50% of axonal tubulin in mature neurons.

Isolated axoplasm from the squid giant axon provides a unique model system for studying exclusively axonal microtubules both in situ and in vitro. Although isolated axoplasm has not been widely used, experiments using this model have provided novel insights into the axonal cytoskeleton and studies on axoplasm have the potential to produce additional insights. Here, we describe the preparation of isolated axoplasms, the use of physiological buffers that more accurately reflect intracellular environments and examples of experiments that can only be done in this model system (Figure 1).

Figure 1
Flow chart for preparation of axoplasms.

Figure 2
Dissection of giant axons. A diagram illustrating the position of the squid giant axons after removal of the internal organs and pen. The squid mantle is roughly conical after the head and tentacles are removed. At that point, the mantle is cut along the dorsal midline to create flat sheet of muscle. The viscera can then be removed along with clear siff pen located in the center of the ventral side of the mantle, between the two largest giant axons. All axons exist in pairs on the right and left side of the midline. The largest diameter axons extend the paralleling the midline and are the longest axons. The other smaller axons are not used because they are not typically large enough to extrude. The two largest giant axons are dissected free from the surrounding muscle and threads are tied at the distal (green) and proximal ends (red, near the cell bodies in the stellate ganglion).

Analysis of Axoplasmic Microtubule Dynamics

The stability of axoplasmic organization in buffer X provides a unique model study of microtubule and actin dynamics in situ (Morris & Lasek, 1984). Tubulin dimers represents 22% of total axoplasmic protein, with a concentration of approximately 25µM (Morris & Lasek, 1984). Squid microtubules resemble mammalian microtubules in many ways with regard to its polymerization (although at optimal temperature as 25°C) and depolymerization (by Cold, Ca2+ ions, colchicine, etc) (Sakai & Matsumoto, 1978) Dilution of extruded axoplasm by 1000 fold in buffer X allows determination of stable polymer, soluble polymer and free tubulin dimer in axoplasm from a single axon based on the kinetics of extraction for tubulin into the media (Morris & Lasek, 1984). This approach defines a Kinetic Equilibration Paradigm (KEP), which provides a unique perspective on microtubule dynamics in situ.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4460999/

I find it remarkable that an organism which is a mollusk and genetically separated from mammals by some 300 milion years has independently developed a very sophisticated consciousness. There is one common denominator that these distantly related organisms share and that is an extraordinary number of microtubules in their neural networks.

Ten Curious Facts About Octopuses

1) Octopuses are waaay old. The oldest known octopus fossil belongs to an animal that lived some 296 million years ago, during the Carboniferous period. That specimen belongs to a species named Pohlsepia and is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. Harmon Courage describes it as a “flattened cow patty” or a “globular splat,” but a close examination reveals the tell-tale eight arms and two eyes. Researchers aren’t sure, but possibly there’s an ink sack there, too. In other words, long before life on land had progressed beyond puny pre-dinosaur reptiles, octopuses had already established their shape for the millions of years to come

5) Octopus arms have a mind of their own. Two-thirds of an octopus’ neurons reside in its arms, not its head. As a result, the arms can problem solve how to open a shellfish while their owners are busy doing something else, like checking out a cave for more edible goodies. The arms can even react after they’ve been completely severed. In one experiment, severed arms jerked away in pain when researchers pinched them.......8 more

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-curious-facts-about-octopuses-7625828/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/octopus-facts/

Is this due to the fact that Octopuses have an extraordinary relative number of microtubules when compared to mammals such as dogs, cats, etc.

Does the number of specialized "thought" MT determine consciousness, intelligenc?

 

[Write4U]

This excellent lecture explains the influence quantum mechanics may play in the development of senses and orientation to say the earth's magnetic fields.

 

[Write4U]

You are messing with me. But that's ok. Have fun.

Why don't you check out ORCH OR and learn something about the mind.

 

[Steve Klinko]

Why don't you check out ORCH OR and learn something about the mind.

Been there, done that, a long time ago, as the saying goes.

 

[Write4U]

Been there, done that, a long time ago, as the saying goes.

Didn't learn much, did we?

 

[Write4U]

will ultimately be used to talk about Consciousness.

Not until you start talking about what a neural network is, what it consists of, and how it works as a self-referential system

Consciousness is an emergent property :

Emergent properties are properties that manifest themselves as the result of various system components working together, not as a property of any individual component.

To put that another way, it is a property that a complex system or collection of system parts has, but which individual parts do not possess.

The term is used within systems theory, science, philosophy, and even creative mediums and it encapsulates the idiom of something being “greater than the sum of its parts”. Since emergent properties are viewable at more macro levels of analysis, only examining individual parts of the system will prevent one from seeing emergent properties. Examples of emergent properties include biochemical systems, the brain, and ant colonies ......more

https://sciencetrends.com/what-are-emergent-properties-definition-and-examples/

 

[DaveC426913]

Consciousness is an emergent property :

Indeed.

I suggest that the prevailing concept of consciousness is that it is not, in-and-of-itself, a distinct entity separate from the electrochemical construct of the brain. Rather, it is an "emergent property" of the brain. That's a better choice of terms.

 

[Steve Klinko]

Didn't learn much, did we?

Not from that theory.

 

[Steve Klinko]

Not until you start talking about what a neural network is, what it consists of, and how it works as a self-referential system

Consciousness is an emergent property :
https://sciencetrends.com/what-are-emergent-properties-definition-and-examples/

That's absurd. I don't need to talk about Neural Networks to have a discussion about my post. Go find a Neural Networks Forum and have fun.
Saying: Consciousness is an Emergent Property is a Speculation, like every thing with regard to Conscious Experience. Could be true, but it is not a principle of Science. In any case, Explaining how Consciousness is an Emergent Property is the problem.

 

[Write4U]

That's absurd. I don't need to talk about Neural Networks to have a discussion about my post. Go find a Neural Networks Forum and have fun.

Oh, are you suggesting that consciousness of the "Inter Mind" (?) doesn't have anything to do with neural networks?

Saying: Consciousness is an Emergent Property is a Speculation, like every thing with regard to Conscious Experience. Could be true, but it is not a principle of Science. In any case, Explaining how Consciousness is an Emergent Property is the problem.

And where would the emergent property originate if not from the neural network? Seems to me you are following a path less traveled, right to a place where the buses don't run.

I have posited Hameroff, a practicing anesthesiologist who knows how to render a person unconscious and who definitively identifies parts of the neural network in the brain as the seat (originating area) of consciousness.
Are you suggesting this anesthesiologist doesn't know what part of the brain he is rendering unconscious or if he is rendering anything unconscious? Ask Anil Seth instead of dismissing him as a charlatan. If you know more than he does, prove it and posit your hypothesis. Dismissing other people's work does not strengthen your argument in the least.

Your problem is that you are not trying to find "common denominators" in current knowledge of the brain, which is really still in it's infancy.

So, rather than fracturing and rejecting every individual specialized area of consciousness knowledge, try to find those facts which reinforce a certain perspective and "build" a comprehensive hypothesis.

As Tegmark says, "don't start with the hard question, start with hard facts" and the answers will emerge naturally, as they do with all science ......

 

[Write4U]

Maybe I forgot to say that you can hover the pointer over any acronym to get the full text.
But if even that's too hard for you, then Bye. Thank You, for at least reading some of it.

Apparently you don't read anything I say.
I have done some research in the matter of consciousness. About 91 pages worth. You may want to familiarize yourself with some of the "hard facts" contained in those papers.

Is consciousness to be found in (quantum processes) in microtubules?
Discussion in 'Pseudoscience' started by Write4U, Sep 7, 2018.

p.s. (brackets) added to keep the subject more generalized.

 

[Steve Klinko]

Oh, are you suggesting that consciousness of the "Inter Mind" (?) doesn't have anything to do with neural networks?
And where would the emergent property originate if not from the neural network? Seems to me you are following a path less traveled, right to a place where the buses don't run.

I have posited Hameroff, a practicing anesthesiologist who knows how to render a person unconscious and who definitively identifies parts of the neural network in the brain as the seat (originating area) of consciousness.
Are you suggesting this anesthesiologist doesn't know what part of the brain he is rendering unconscious or if he is rendering anything unconscious? Ask Anil Seth instead of dismissing him as a charlatan. If you know more than he does, prove it and posit your hypothesis. Dismissing other people's work does not strengthen your argument in the least.

Your problem is that you are not trying to find "common denominators" in current knowledge of the brain, which is really still in it's infancy.

So, rather than fracturing and rejecting every individual specialized area of consciousness knowledge, try to find those facts which reinforce a certain perspective and "build" a comprehensive hypothesis.

As Tegmark says, "don't start with the hard question, start with hard facts" and the answers will emerge naturally, as they do with all science ......

I do start with the Hard Problem. This is a Top Down reverse Engineering endeavor. No theory that I have read wants to think about the Conscious Experience itself. They always Dodge the issue by talking about Neural Activity, Neural Nets, Emergence, etc.. Tell me the answer to the simplest question, Given:

1) Neural Activity happens in the Brain.
2) "Something" happens during the Neural Activity or is produced by the Neural Activity.
3) A Conscious Experience happens in the Mind.

What is that "Something" that happens in step 2 that can Logically take you from 1 to 3?

What does Seth, Hameroff, or Tegmark put in step 2.

I have read their works and have watched many interviews with them and must have missed their answers to this.
If you know what they are saying then please tell me once and for all what their answers would be.

 

[Steve Klinko]

Apparently you don't read anything I say.
I have done some research in the matter of consciousness. About 91 pages worth. You may want to familiarize yourself with some of the "hard facts" contained in those papers.

Is consciousness to be found in (quantum processes) in microtubules?
Discussion in 'Pseudoscience' started by Write4U, Sep 7, 2018.

p.s. (brackets) added to keep the subject more generalized.

You are commenting on a reply to DaveC426913. Are you the same person?

 

[Write4U]

1) Neural Activity happens in the Brain.

Much too limited in concept. Expand your horizon. The transport of electro-chemical information happens throughout the entire neural network in the body. That is all part of the Neural Network. Electro-chemical activity is being recorded and physically experienced by the entire physical organism.

2) "Something" happens during the Neural Activity or is produced by the Neural Activity.

Yes, physical electro-chemical information distribution and reactions happen throughout the entire neural network and cytoskeleton of the organism

3) A Conscious Experience happens in the Mind.

The Brain collects all the experiential activity within the body and compares it with memory and selects if the information gets distributed to the level II part of the brain which "controls" sub-conscious homeostasis, or to the experiential comparative level III part (memory) of the brain which consciously decides on a "fight or flight" response, depending on the nature of the information.

What is that "Something" that happens in step 2 that can Logically take you from 1 to 3?

A comparative electro-chemical response which is experienced and weighed by the entire organism's neural network and brain.

This is a pocket version of analyzing "hard facts" of what is occurring throughout the microtubule processing network inside the body while "processing external and internal information", instead of asking "what is that something" that is doing the processing.
We know what is doing the processing and allowing for memory storage.

Microtubules are a "common denominator"of all Eukaryotic living organisms and it is a known "hard fact" that they are responsible for the transport and distribution of electro-chemical information that keeps the organism alive.

We know what and where the processing happens. When adding all the macro-quantum events throughout the body an experience greater than the sum of its individual parts emerges and is experienced as "consciousness".

Migrating birds are able to navigate by following magnetic fields while also observing natural terrain, a very sophisticated combination necessary for navigating extremely long distances.

I have cited examples of Octopuses who have 8 relatively independently acting brains in their arms, as well as a central control brain. This creature is very "conscious" of it's surroundings and is capable of solving complex problems including possessing the ability of physical "shape shifting" to blend in with its surroundings!

At the other end of the spectrum is the Venus Flytrap, a stationary predatory plant which responds when pray triggers specific "sensory" cilia (MT), causing an electro-chemical response of hydraulically closing the leaves, trapping the prey and stimulating the production of digestive enzymes.

A slime mold is able to solve a maze by laying down chemical "do not enter" signs, to avoid duplicate exploration of closed paths.

IMO all these pro-active and reactive behaviors add up to degrees of experiential consciousness in the organism allowing for relatively specialized intelligent survival behaviors.

What sets the human brain apart is an accidental beneficial mutation in the human DNA, which created an enormous leap in information processing abilities and caused the split of humans from our ancestral hominids.

Human Chromosome 2 is a fusion of two ancestral chromosomes, Alec MacAndrew

Introduction

All great apes apart from man have 24 pairs of chromosomes. There is therefore a hypothesis that the common ancestor of all great apes had 24 pairs of chromosomes and that the fusion of two of the ancestor's chromosomes created chromosome 2 in humans. The evidence for this hypothesis is very strong.

..........more

Conclusion

The evidence that human chromosome 2 is a fusion of two of the common ancestor's chromosomes is overwhelming.

http://www.evolutionpages.com/chromosome_2.htm

Note that only humans possess 23 chromosomes as compared to 24 in all other hominids.
Clearly, this has to be the evolutionary jump where humans split from the original hominid family.

These are hard facts. Lets begin with examining the actual results of these known properties which all seem to have contributed to the extraordinary development of conscious intelligence in humans as well as in many other high functioning living organisms.

 

[Steve Klinko]

Much too limited in concept. Expand your horizon. The transport of electro-chemical information happens throughout the entire neural network in the body. That is all part of the Neural Network. Electro-chemical activity is being recorded and physically experienced by the entire physical organism. Yes, physical electro-chemical information distribution and reactions happen throughout the entire neural network and cytoskeleton of the organism The Brain collects all the experiential activity within the body and compares it with memory and selects if the information gets distributed to the level II part of the brain which "controls" sub-conscious homeostasis, or to the experiential comparative level III part (memory) of the brain which consciously decides on a "fight or flight" response, depending on the nature of the information.
A comparative electro-chemical response which is experienced and weighed by the entire organism's neural network and brain.

This is a pocket version of analyzing "hard facts" of what is occurring throughout the microtubule processing network inside the body while "processing external and internal information", instead of asking "what is that something" that is doing the processing.
We know what is doing the processing and allowing for memory storage.

Microtubules are a "common denominator"of all Eukaryotic living organisms and it is a known "hard fact" that they are responsible for the transport and distribution of electro-chemical information that keeps the organism alive.

We know what and where the processing happens. When adding all the macro-quantum events throughout the body an experience greater than the sum of its individual parts emerges and is experienced as "consciousness".

Migrating birds are able to navigate by following magnetic fields while also observing natural terrain, a very sophisticated combination necessary for navigating extremely long distances.

I have cited examples of Octopuses who have 8 relatively independently acting brains in their arms, as well as a central control brain. This creature is very "conscious" of it's surroundings and is capable of solving complex problems including possessing the ability of physical "shape shifting" to blend in with its surroundings!

At the other end of the spectrum is the Venus Flytrap, a stationary predatory plant which responds when pray triggers specific "sensory" cilia (MT), causing an electro-chemical response of hydraulically closing the leaves, trapping the prey and stimulating the production of digestive enzymes.

A slime mold is able to solve a maze by laying down chemical "do not enter" signs, to avoid duplicate exploration of closed paths.

IMO all these pro-active and reactive behaviors add up to degrees of experiential consciousness in the organism allowing for relatively specialized intelligent survival behaviors.

What sets the human brain apart is an accidental beneficial mutation in the human DNA, which created an enormous leap in information processing abilities and caused the split of humans from our ancestral hominids.

Human Chromosome 2 is a fusion of two ancestral chromosomes, Alec MacAndrew

Introduction

..........more

Conclusion
http://www.evolutionpages.com/chromosome_2.htm

Note that only humans possess 23 chromosomes as compared to 24 in all other hominids.
Clearly, this has to be the evolutionary jump where humans split from the original hominid family.

These are hard facts. Lets begin with examining the actual results of these known properties which all seem to have contributed to the extraordinary development of conscious intelligence in humans as well as in many other high functioning living organisms.

All the things you say may be true, but I see no Explanation for an actual Conscious Experience. Remember, I am interested in the Experience, Perception, or Qualia of things like Redness, Standard A Tone, and Salty Taste. You have said that the Microtubules are responsible for Consciousness, but you have not provided the Logical Explanatory Reasoning that shows how Microtubule operation leads to any actual Conscious Sensory Experience. When you talk about Microtubules you are just talking about an aspect of Neural Activity because Microtubules are in the Neurons. You are talking about the Neural Correlates of Conscious Sensory Experience. You are not talking about Conscious Sensory Experience itself. Consider the Redness, Standard A Toneness, and Salty Tasteness as the end product of all the Neural Processing.

 

[Write4U]

All the things you say may be true, but I see no Explanation for an actual Conscious Experience. Remember, I am interested in the Experience, Perception, or Qualia of things like Redness, Standard A Tone, and Salty Taste.

OK, we have begun with some apparent hard facts! IMO, that's better than starting with an unanswered question...

Are qualia not the experiencing of expressed wavelengths in some form? (How do migrating birds use the earth's magnetic fields if not as wave frequencies?)
AFAIK, sets of wave length form dynamic fields, which may be experienced. Almost all electro-chemical networks have an associated dynamic fields. If I stand underneath a High Voltage tower with a florescent tube, the tube will light up, IOW, the bulb experiences an electro-chemical qualia!

Electromagnetic Field Lights Up Field of Florescent Tubes
(Note: I am not saying that anything lights up inside the brain, but wave frequencies are dynamical physics.) https://www.industrytap.com/floresc...-shinning-tapping-electromagnetic-fields/1763

You have said that the Microtubules are responsible for Consciousness, but you have not provided the Logical Explanatory Reasoning that shows how Microtubule operation leads to any actual Conscious Sensory Experience. When you talk about Microtubules you are just talking about an aspect of Neural Activity because Microtubules are in the Neurons. You are talking about the Neural Correlates of Conscious Sensory Experience. You are not talking about Conscious Sensory Experience itself.

Of course not. It is the problem we are examining. But we do have some hard facts about microtubules which logically point to the major role they may play in the emergence of consciousness.

For one, MT are bio-chemical dynamical self organizing nano scale bipolar (electromagnetic/chemical) coils which have been shown to play the major role in biological electro-chemical information processing and distribution. And they are present by the trillions in the bodies of all Eukaryotic organisms!

Electromagnetic coil

An electromagnetic coil is an electrical conductor such as a wire in the shape of a coil, spiral or helix.[1][2] Electromagnetic coils are used in electrical engineering, in applications where electric currents interact with magnetic fields, in devices such as electric motors, generators, inductors, electromagnets, transformers, and sensor coils. Either an electric current is passed through the wire of the coil to generate a magnetic field, or conversely an external time-varying magnetic field through the interior of the coil generates an EMF (voltage) in the conductor.

The magnetic field lines (green) of a current-carrying loop of wire pass through the center of the loop, concentrating the field there

(Note the resemblance to MT)

I for one am very interested in what Stuart Hameroff and Roger Penrose have to say about the potential role MT may play in the processing of sensory information. They and are the only ones with a logical hypothesis of ORCH OR, using a macro quantum function.

ORCH OR (Orchestrated Objective Reduction)

I have already directed your attention to the site that's dedicated to the study and known role MT play in the "processing of information". I can't discuss it here any further.

These are just a random selection of facts which set me on this extrapolation. I am not suggesting this is how it works, but offering some speculations based on known "hard facts".

At least it is an analytical start instead of the endlessly repeating "hard question", which no one seems to be able to work "downwards from qualia". Maybe we need to work upward from macro quantum toward qualia....