Consciousness Studies in Nature

(00:00:00): Welcome back to The Deep Dive. (00:00:01): Great to be here. (00:00:02): Today, we're stepping into something pretty revolutionary, I think. (00:00:06): We're not just sorting through sources. (00:00:08): No, definitely not. (00:00:09): We're looking at a potential scientific shift that could change, (00:00:12): well, (00:00:13): everything you think you know about consciousness, (00:00:14): your body, (00:00:15): maybe even your own mind. (00:00:16): That's right. (00:00:17): We're diving deep today into this incredible convergence. (00:00:21): Think quantum physics, neuroscience, and, get this, microbiology. (00:00:27): Microbiology. (00:00:28): Yeah. (00:00:29): Our mission really is to unpack some groundbreaking research. (00:00:34): It suggests consciousness might not just be, (00:00:36): you know, (00:00:37): locked up in our brains, (00:00:38): but maybe it's a much broader distributed quantum biological thing involving our (00:00:43): gut microbes. (00:00:44): Gut microbes. (00:00:45): Wow. (00:00:46): OK. (00:00:46): So ancient wisdom meets super modern science. (00:00:49): That's exactly it. (00:00:50): It's a fascinating intersection. (00:00:51): All right. (00:00:51): Let's try and unpack that. (00:00:52): This foundational idea. (00:00:53): It's pretty radical, isn't it? (00:00:55): Consciousness isn't just the brain. (00:00:56): Right. (00:00:57): That's the core shift. (00:00:58): Our sources are pointing to this new frontier, (00:01:01): basically connecting quantum theories, (00:01:03): quantum relational theories, (00:01:05): with gut microbiome science. (00:01:08): Yeah, it sounds almost like science fiction. (00:01:10): It really does. (00:01:11): But the data is starting to pile up, suggesting maybe it's not so fictional. (00:01:15): And the central claim here is what's so compelling. (00:01:19): Consciousness as a distributed quantum biological process. (00:01:23): Right. (00:01:23): Deeply tangled up with our microbial partners. (00:01:26): I mean, that totally challenges the traditional view, the brain as command center model. (00:01:30): Suggests something much more integrated. (00:01:33): Exactly. (00:01:33): More integrated, more complex than we ever really thought. (00:01:36): Okay. (00:01:36): And this next bit, this is where it gets really mind bending for me. (00:01:40): Because for ages, scientists basically said quantum effects. (00:01:44): Too fragile. (00:01:46): The standard line. (00:01:46): They couldn't possibly survive in, you know, the warm, wet, messy environment of a living thing. (00:01:51): Right. (00:01:52): The warm, wet and noisy problem. (00:01:53): But new research is just blowing that idea out of the water, isn't it? (00:01:57): It really seems to be. (00:01:58): Yeah. (00:01:58): The question of quantum effects in biology has had some pretty decisive recent answers. (00:02:04): Like what? (00:02:05): Well, (00:02:05): University of Chicago researchers, (00:02:07): Greg Engel's team, (00:02:09): they showed green sulfur bacteria don't just like put up with quantum mechanics. (00:02:14): They actively use it. (00:02:15): Use it? (00:02:16): How? (00:02:16): It's something called vibronic mixing, (00:02:18): basically a quantum effect where light energy and molecular vibrations kind of (00:02:22): merge. (00:02:23): Okay. (00:02:24): Allowing the bacteria to direct energy flow super efficiently depending on the environment. (00:02:28): So it's not just quantum stuff surviving. (00:02:30): It's actually helping them an evolutionary advantage. (00:02:34): Precisely. (00:02:34): It's quantum mechanics being leveraged for survival. (00:02:37): That's amazing. (00:02:38): It reminds me of, you know, Schrodinger's cat. (00:02:41): Is there a Schrodinger's bacterium too? (00:02:43): I think I read something about that. (00:02:44): Huh. (00:02:45): You're spot on. (00:02:46): Yeah, that comes from an Oxford study by quantum physicist Chiara Marletto. (00:02:50): Okay. (00:02:51): They found the first sort of indirect evidence suggesting bacteria could be (00:02:54): entangled with photons. (00:02:56): Entangled? (00:02:57): Seriously? (00:02:58): Yeah. (00:02:58): It looked like these green sulfur bacteria could simultaneously hit and miss (00:03:03): photosynthetic molecules. (00:03:04): Which is a hallmark of quantum weirdness, right? (00:03:06): Yeah. (00:03:07): Exactly. (00:03:07): Entanglement. (00:03:08): Now, it's important to say the evidence is circumstantial for now. (00:03:11): Needs more work. (00:03:12): Right. (00:03:12): But the Oxford team is actually planning experiments, (00:03:15): hoping to directly entangle two bacteria by 2024. (00:03:19): Wow. (00:03:20): That would be definitive. (00:03:22): It would be huge proof. (00:03:23): Yes. (00:03:23): But OK, the big question then is timing. (00:03:26): How long can these quantum states, this weirdness, actually last inside a living cell? (00:03:32): That's always been the sticking point. (00:03:33): It's a critical question. (00:03:34): Yeah. (00:03:35): And we do have some numbers. (00:03:37): Research on quantum coherence. (00:03:38): That's its ability to stay quantum-like. (00:03:40): Right. (00:03:41): It shows persistence for at least 300 femtoseconds. (00:03:44): Which sounds incredibly short. (00:03:46): It is incredibly short, a tiny fraction of a second. (00:03:48): But crucially, (00:03:49): this is at physiological temperatures, (00:03:51): body temperature, (00:03:52): in these bacterial energy transfer complexes. (00:03:54): Huh. (00:03:55): Still seems brief, but maybe long enough for biology to use. (00:03:59): Possibly. (00:03:59): Yeah. (00:03:59): Yeah. (00:04:00): And there's more. (00:04:00): Other studies show bacteria like E. (00:04:02): coli react really fast to temperature changes, (00:04:05): like shifting to 37 Celsius, (00:04:07): our body temp. (00:04:07): They trigger massive gene expression changes, (00:04:10): suggesting these quantum effects might be woven into their survival toolkit, (00:04:14): even at human body heat. (00:04:16): So what does this all mean for you listening? (00:04:18): I mean, this isn't just abstract physics. (00:04:20): It's potentially happening inside living things. (00:04:22): Inside us, maybe? (00:04:24): It means we're just scratching the surface. (00:04:25): We absolutely need to validate these findings rigorously. (00:04:28): Right. (00:04:29): Caution is needed. (00:04:30): Definitely. (00:04:31): A big 2020 review, for example, questioned some claims about long-lived coherences. (00:04:37): So the field needs ongoing tough experimental proof. (00:04:42): But the implications. (00:04:43): The implications are profound, yeah. (00:04:46): Suggesting a deeper quantum layer to life itself. (00:04:49): Okay, so quantum weirdness potentially inside us. (00:04:52): That's one massive piece. (00:04:53): Now let's shift gears. (00:04:54): What about the gut? (00:04:55): We all talk about gut feelings, right? (00:04:57): But the sources we looked at suggest it's way, way more than just a metaphor. (00:05:01): Oh, absolutely. (00:05:02): The old idea of consciousness being purely a brain thing. (00:05:05): It's being seriously challenged by evidence pointing to distributed systems. (00:05:09): Distributed how? (00:05:11): particularly this thing called the gut-brain microbiome axis. (00:05:14): Research from places like Johns Hopkins shows the enteric nervous system, (00:05:19): that network of nerves in your gut. (00:05:21): The second brain, they call it. (00:05:22): Exactly. (00:05:23): It has over 100 million neurons. (00:05:25): It's not just digesting, it's directly influencing decisions. (00:05:29): So those gut feelings, they're real signals. (00:05:32): They seem to be. (00:05:34): interoceptive signals coming from the gut contributing to intuition, (00:05:37): decision-making, (00:05:38): and most of that communication doesn't even reach our conscious awareness. (00:05:42): And it's not just about internal feelings, right? (00:05:44): It actually affects how we interact with the world, our social lives. (00:05:48): Precisely. (00:05:49): This is fascinating. (00:05:50): There's research from a long-term project, the Amboseli Baboon Research Project. (00:05:54): Fifteen years they studied them. (00:05:55): Okay. (00:05:56): And they found the baboons' social grooming habits directly predict how similar (00:06:00): their gut microbes are. (00:06:02): Wait, really? (00:06:03): More grooming buddies means more similar gut bacteria. (00:06:06): Yeah. (00:06:07): More social animals had more diverse microbiomes, too. (00:06:10): It suggests a direct social microbial link. (00:06:12): Even in humans, (00:06:13): families share distinct microbial auras, (00:06:17): unique microbial signatures that you can identify and even transfer. (00:06:20): Microbial auras. (00:06:22): and maybe the most striking bit. (00:06:24): Germ-free mice raised with no microbes, they have severe social problems. (00:06:29): Which makes sense if microbes are involved. (00:06:30): But you can restore their social behavior by giving them specific bacteria, (00:06:35): particularly one called Enterococcus faecalis. (00:06:38): Okay, hold on. (00:06:39): This means these tiny passengers inside us are literally shaping our social interactions. (00:06:44): How? (00:06:45): What's the mechanism there? (00:06:46): It's complex, but we're figuring it out. (00:06:48): Gut bacteria actually produce neuroactive compounds. (00:06:51): Like brain chemicals. (00:06:53): Exactly. (00:06:53): Things like GABA, serotonin precursors, dopamine precursors. (00:06:57): These chemicals travel or signal to the brain and can directly affect mood, (00:07:02): chemistry, (00:07:03): decision making. (00:07:04): And how do they get the message there? (00:07:05): The vagus nerve is a key highway. (00:07:07): It's a massive nerve connecting the gut and brain. (00:07:10): And interestingly, about 80% of the signals travel from the gut to the brain. (00:07:15): 80%. (00:07:15): Wow, it's mostly bottom-up communication then. (00:07:17): A huge amount, yeah. (00:07:19): And we see correlations. (00:07:21): Higher microbiome diversity often links to better emotional regulation, better social skills. (00:07:26): And the reverse, social isolation. (00:07:29): Reduces microbiome diversity and seems to impair social cognitive abilities. (00:07:33): So think about this. (00:07:34): Your social life impacts your gut and your gut impacts your social life. (00:07:38): It's a feedback loop. (00:07:39): It really is. (00:07:40): Yeah. (00:07:40): So for you, the listener, it means your social connections aren't just mental or emotional. (00:07:44): They're deeply biological, right down to your microbes. (00:07:47): We're not just social animals. (00:07:49): Maybe we're social whole obliance. (00:07:50): Social holobinds, I like that. (00:07:52): Okay. (00:07:53): So we've got quantum effects and tiny bacteria, (00:07:57): and we've got this massive influence of the gut on our brain, (00:07:59): our mood, (00:08:00): our social lives. (00:08:01): Are these connected? (00:08:02): Is anyone trying to bridge these? (00:08:04): Maybe through quantum information. (00:08:07): That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? (00:08:08): And yes, that's exactly what several new theoretical frameworks are suggesting. (00:08:12): They're starting to treat biological systems like, well, quantum information processors. (00:08:16): Okay, like computers, but quantum. (00:08:17): In a way, yeah. (00:08:18): Matthew Fisher at UC Santa Barbara has this quantum brain hypothesis. (00:08:24): He proposes that phosphorus atoms, (00:08:27): maybe clustered in these things called Posner molecules within our neurons, (00:08:31): could act like biological quibits. (00:08:32): Quibits. (00:08:33): Quantum bits. (00:08:34): The basis of quantum computing. (00:08:36): Right. (00:08:36): And he suggests their nuclear spin properties might let them hold a quantum state (00:08:40): maintained coherence. (00:08:43): For hours, maybe even days. (00:08:45): Hours or days. (00:08:46): That's way longer than femtoseconds. (00:08:48): Much longer. (00:08:49): And potentially entanglement between these could affect how neurons release neurotransmitters. (00:08:55): It's theoretical, but provocative. (00:08:57): And what about the brain itself? (00:08:59): Theories about quantum stuff happening in the brain. (00:09:01): I'm always fascinated by the Orchard theory. (00:09:03): Can you unpack that a bit? (00:09:04): Sure. (00:09:05): Orchard, orchestrated objective reduction. (00:09:07): That's Stuart Hameroff, an anesthesiologist, and Roger Penrose, the physicist. (00:09:11): Right. (00:09:12): Penrose, the Nobel laureate. (00:09:13): Their idea is that microtubules, (00:09:15): these tiny protein tubes inside neurons, (00:09:18): might actually function as quantum computers. (00:09:21): quantum computers inside our brain cells. (00:09:23): That's the proposal. (00:09:24): And there's some, again, indirect experimental support. (00:09:28): Drugs that stabilize microtubules seem to affect how anesthetics work. (00:09:32): Ah, suggesting microtubules are involved in consciousness somehow. (00:09:35): Exactly. (00:09:36): And the updated theory talks about beat frequencies from microtubule vibrations (00:09:41): possibly being the source of EEG brainwaves, (00:09:44): the electrical patterns associated with consciousness. (00:09:46): It's kind of mind-blowing. (00:09:47): The universe as a computer, (00:09:49): our bodies as computers, (00:09:51): it really shifts your perspective, (00:09:52): doesn't it? (00:09:53): It absolutely does. (00:09:54): You look at someone like Cess Lloyd at MIT. (00:09:57): He views the universe itself as a giant quantum computer processing information. (00:10:02): Okay. (00:10:02): And he points to examples like photosynthesis in plants, (00:10:05): where quantum effects boost energy transfer efficiency dramatically. (00:10:09): It implies biological systems are quantum information processors at the molecular level. (00:10:14): They're harnessing quantum mechanics. (00:10:16): Right. (00:10:16): Using things like environment-assisted quantum transport. (00:10:19): There's even work by Ivan Georgievich using quantum information theory, (00:10:22): specifically quantum channel capacity calculations, (00:10:25): to model how information flows from DNA to proteins. (00:10:28): So the big takeaway here for the listener is our bodies might not just be these (00:10:33): classical biological machines we thought they were. (00:10:35): Exactly. (00:10:36): They might be incredibly sophisticated quantum computers processing information in (00:10:42): ways we're only just starting to imagine. (00:10:44): It's a fundamental challenge to the classical view of life. (00:10:47): This really feels like like it's more than just separate bits of research. (00:10:51): It feels like puzzle pieces clicking together into something much bigger. (00:10:56): I think that's right. (00:10:56): We're seeing this unprecedented integration, (00:10:59): you know, (00:11:00): quantum physics, (00:11:00): neuroscience, (00:11:02): microbiology, (00:11:03): consciousness studies. (00:11:04): They're all starting to talk to each other. (00:11:06): And yielding new ideas? (00:11:07): Absolutely. (00:11:08): Take Federico Fagan, one of the pioneers of the microprocessor. (00:11:11): Oh, wow. (00:11:12): He's proposed a really revolutionary theory. (00:11:16): that qualia are subjective experiences, like the redness of red or the feeling of pain. (00:11:20): The hard problem of consciousness stuff. (00:11:22): Exactly. (00:11:23): He suggests maybe qualia don't arise from classical brain activity, (00:11:26): but reside in underlying quantum fields. (00:11:29): Whoa. (00:11:29): So consciousness is fundamental, quantum mechanical. (00:11:32): That's his view. (00:11:33): Consciousness is a fundamental quantum phenomenon, (00:11:36): and the physical world we see is more like a symbolic representation of that deeper (00:11:41): quantum reality. (00:11:42): So you, (00:11:43): the sense of self, (00:11:45): could be far more than just your brain activity in a really profound physical way. (00:11:50): That's where some of this thinking leads. (00:11:51): There's the holobuyant consciousness model, for example. (00:11:54): Holobuyant, that word again, the human plus microbes unit? (00:11:57): Right. (00:11:58): This model suggests consciousness doesn't just emerge from our human cells, (00:12:01): but from the entire holobuyant, (00:12:03): the integrated system of us and our trillions of microbial partners. (00:12:07): Challenging the brain only idea head on. (00:12:10): Completely. (00:12:11): It suggests consciousness arises from the whole brain gut microbiome axis with this (00:12:16): constant back and forth chatter between our nerves and our microbe shaping (00:12:20): cognition. (00:12:21): OK, if consciousness is potentially this broad quantum microbial thing, what about free will? (00:12:27): Does this give us a new angle on that huge philosophical debate? (00:12:31): Well, some frameworks try to address that. (00:12:33): Henry Stapp's quantum interactive dualism is one. (00:12:35): How does that work? (00:12:36): It positions consciousness as an active selector. (00:12:39): It suggests top-level brain processing involves quantum superposition states, (00:12:44): multiple possibilities existing at once. (00:12:46): And consciousness, through a quantum measurement-like process, selects one outcome. (00:12:53): He even proposes quantum events in neurotransmitter released at the synapse could (00:12:58): be the physical basis for this choice for free will. (00:13:01): So mind interacting with matter via quantum mechanics. (00:13:05): That's the idea. (00:13:06): It offers a potential scientific framework anyway for how consciousness or mind (00:13:10): could genuinely influence physical events in the brain. (00:13:13): What strikes me as truly astonishing, (00:13:14): though, (00:13:14): is how many of these really cutting edge scientific ideas seem to, (00:13:19): well, (00:13:19): echo ancient philosophies like they knew something intuitively. (00:13:22): There is a remarkable convergence happening there, (00:13:25): especially between ancient Eastern ideas about, (00:13:28): say, (00:13:29): gut-centered awareness or interconnectedness and these modern findings. (00:13:32): And you give an example. (00:13:33): Sure. (00:13:34): There was a study comparing 37 Tibetan Buddhist monks with 19 secular controls. (00:13:38): The monks, (00:13:39): who practiced meditation for two-plus hours daily, (00:13:42): sometimes for decades, (00:13:43): they had dramatically different gut microbiomes. (00:13:46): Different. (00:13:46): Enreached in beneficial bacteria like Prevotella, Bacteroidetes, Megamonas, Fecalobacterium, (00:13:53): Genera often linked to lower anxiety, depression, even better cardiovascular health. (00:13:57): So the spiritual practice had a measurable biological microbial effect. (00:14:02): A clear, measurable difference, yes. (00:14:04): That's incredible, just from meditating. (00:14:06): It seems so. (00:14:07): And another study looked at people on a nine-day intensive arhadic yoga meditation retreat. (00:14:14): Within just days, their gut microbiomes shifted rapidly. (00:14:17): Towards what? (00:14:18): Towards enrichment and health-promoting microbes again. (00:14:21): Things like rheumatococcus, (00:14:22): fecalibacterium again, (00:14:24): acromantia, (00:14:25): bifidobacterium, (00:14:26): bacteria known to produce short chain fatty acids. (00:14:28): Which are crucial for the gut brain axis, right? (00:14:31): Exactly. (00:14:32): Vital for that communication pathway. (00:14:34): So it's like contemplative science is providing hard data that validates these (00:14:38): ancient practices. (00:14:39): Yes, precisely. (00:14:40): Eastern philosophy's emphasis on interconnectedness. (00:14:43): It finds a fascinating echo in quantum entanglement research and these traditional (00:14:48): practices that focus on gut awareness or mindful breathing. (00:14:53): We're seeing they have measurable effects on the microbiome. (00:14:56): Contemplative science is validating this old wisdom about mind-body integration. (00:15:01): And maybe the mechanisms involve these quantum biological links we've been discussing. (00:15:05): That's a very strong possibility. (00:15:08): Meditation, for instance, is known to reduce stress hormones, which disrupt the microbiota. (00:15:12): It also boosts the parasympathetic nervous system, (00:15:15): the rest and digest system, (00:15:17): which helps maintain a healthy gut barrier. (00:15:19): This is all fascinating theoretically, but you mentioned treatments. (00:15:22): This isn't just academic, is it? (00:15:24): It sounds like it could lead to revolutionary ways to improve health. (00:15:27): Oh, absolutely. (00:15:28): The convergence of quantum biology and microbiome science opens up truly (00:15:33): unprecedented therapeutic avenues. (00:15:35): Like what? (00:15:36): What are we talking about? (00:15:37): Well, for starters, targeted probiotic strains. (00:15:40): They're developing specific bacteria as psychobiotics. (00:15:43): Psychobiotics. (00:15:44): For mental health. (00:15:45): Exactly. (00:15:46): For treating depression, anxiety, maybe even cognitive disorders. (00:15:49): Then there's microbiota transfer therapy. (00:15:51): That's like a fecal transplant, right? (00:15:53): Essentially, yes. (00:15:55): And it's showing real promise for conditions like autism spectrum disorders. (00:15:59): Even dietary changes focused on boosting microbiome diversity. (00:16:04): look promising for preventing age-related cognitive decline. (00:16:07): It's a whole new toolkit. (00:16:08): Could this lead to truly personalized medicine, (00:16:11): like analyzing my specific gut microbes and prescribing something tailored just for (00:16:15): me? (00:16:16): That's the vision, precisely. (00:16:18): Imagine using your individual microbiome profile to predict your risk for, (00:16:22): say, (00:16:22): social anxiety or depression. (00:16:25): And then designing personalized probiotic treatments based on your unique microbial (00:16:29): signature, (00:16:30): integrating microbiome analysis into mental health checks. (00:16:33): That's a huge paradigm shift. (00:16:35): Towards treating the whole person in the Hall of Bion. (00:16:37): Exactly. (00:16:38): Towards these embodied holistic approaches. (00:16:40): Centers like Keough University's Bio2Q Center in Japan are already doing this, (00:16:44): combining biology, (00:16:45): microbiome research, (00:16:46): and quantum computing to understand these complex interactions. (00:16:49): So looking ahead, what's on the horizon? (00:16:52): Where does this go next? (00:16:53): The future looks incredibly exciting. (00:16:55): Think quantum enhanced probiotics, (00:16:57): engineering microbes using quantum principles, (00:17:00): precision microbiome medicine, (00:17:02): using our deeper understanding of quantum effects for better targeting, (00:17:06): and maybe even quantum biocomputing, (00:17:08): using bacterial systems themselves as components of future computers. (00:17:12): Okay, that future sounds amazing. (00:17:14): A world where we understand ourselves and heal in totally new ways. (00:17:18): But let's be realistic. (00:17:20): What are the big hurdles? (00:17:21): This can't be easy. (00:17:22): You're absolutely right. (00:17:23): It's an emerging field, and the challenges are significant. (00:17:26): Decoherence is still a major one. (00:17:28): Maintaining those fragile quantum states in the body's environment. (00:17:32): Exactly. (00:17:32): It limits how long the effects can last. (00:17:34): And just proving that an effect is genuinely quantum, (00:17:38): not just complex classical physics in a messy biological system, (00:17:42): that's experimentally really hard. (00:17:44): Yeah, I can imagine. (00:17:45): There's also the sheer scale difference between tiny quantum events and larger (00:17:49): biological processes. (00:17:50): Right. (00:17:51): Bridging that gap needs more investigation and honestly, (00:17:54): direct proof of quantum information processing specifically in the gut brain axis. (00:17:59): That's still quite limited. (00:18:00): So lots more research needed. (00:18:02): Rigorous validation, as you said earlier. (00:18:04): There's excitement, but also healthy scientific debate. (00:18:07): Absolutely critical. (00:18:08): The field needs continued, (00:18:10): tough experimental work and better theories to really fulfill its potential for (00:18:16): medicine, (00:18:17): biotech and just our basic understanding of life. (00:18:20): But there are promising signs, right? (00:18:21): That's not all challenges. (00:18:22): Oh, definitely. (00:18:23): Promising developments are popping up all the time. (00:18:26): We do have growing evidence for room temperature quantum effects in biological systems. (00:18:30): Right. (00:18:31): We see quantum coherence lasting for microseconds now in some biological molecules, (00:18:36): which is much longer than femtoseconds. (00:18:38): We've seen entanglement demonstrated in biological structures. (00:18:42): And there's mounting experimental support for quantum processes being involved in (00:18:46): things like anesthesia and consciousness. (00:18:48): So it's early days, but the needle is moving. (00:18:51): The needle is definitely moving. (00:18:52): It feels like the beginning of something big. (00:18:54): So wrapping this up, what's the big takeaway for you listening to this, this deep dive? (00:19:00): It feels like it fundamentally reshapes how we might think about consciousness, doesn't it? (00:19:04): Moving it way beyond just the brain. (00:19:06): I think that's the key point. (00:19:08): This emerging science suggests consciousness might not be solely localized in our neurons. (00:19:15): Instead, (00:19:16): it could arise from these incredibly complex quantum processes distributed across (00:19:21): the entire biological system. (00:19:23): The brain, the gut, the microbiome. (00:19:26): And maybe even their interactions with underlying quantum fields. (00:19:29): It's potentially one of the most significant shifts in neuroscience and psychology in decades. (00:19:34): With huge implications. (00:19:35): Profound implications for understanding how we think, (00:19:38): how we behave socially, (00:19:40): and how we might develop completely new therapies. (00:19:42): It really does feel like we're watching the birth of a new scientific paradigm, (00:19:46): one that kind of beautifully seems to honor both the insights of ancient wisdom and (00:19:51): the rigor of modern quantum physics. (00:19:53): That's a great way to put it. (00:19:54): And if you connect it all to the bigger picture, (00:19:56): well, (00:19:57): as our experiments get better and our theories mature, (00:19:59): we might just find that the ultimate key to understanding consciousness isn't just (00:20:03): in the brain's complexity alone. (00:20:05): But where? (00:20:06): But maybe in this quantum-enhanced symphony, (00:20:09): played by our entire microbial neural quantum ecosystem. (00:20:12): A quantum enhanced symphony. (00:20:14): That is a powerful thought to end on. (00:20:16): So for you, (00:20:17): the listener, (00:20:18): what does it mean for your understanding of yourself if your very consciousness, (00:20:21): your being, (00:20:22): is this intricate symphony? (00:20:24): Played by your whole body, (00:20:25): down to the quantum level, (00:20:26): in concert with the trillions of microbes living within you. (00:20:29): Something to ponder, keep exploring, keep questioning. (00:20:32): And join us next time for another deep dive. Get full access to A.I. Sherpa at cbbsherpa.substack.com/subscribe