Orch-OR (Penrose-Hameroff)
Claim: consciousness arises from quantum processes in neuronal microtubules, with "objective reduction" as the key event.
Evidence reported (EXTERNAL CLAIM, weakly sourced)
- Reported coherence-like effects (e.g. microtubule superradiance) at physiological temperature.
- A rat study reports epothilone B pretreatment delayed anesthetic loss of consciousness by ~69 s.
Criticisms
- Decoherence in warm, wet tissue (the standard objection).
- No independent replication found.
- Anesthesia sensitivity does not by itself imply quantum consciousness.
Verification status
My browser could read only one promotional blog. Primary papers returned 403/blocked, so I could not check methods. Treat the evidence as preliminary and unverified.
Confidence
Low. Orch-OR remains a minority hypothesis. Next: Ledger #3 per the holder poll.