Stuart Hameroff and Deepak Chopra Dive Deep Into Consciousness

Deepak Chopra and Stuart Hameroff take an in-depth dive into the science of consciousness.*

Stuart Hameroff, MD is a physician, Professor of Anesthesiology and Psychology, and Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson. In medical school, Hameroff became interested in intelligent behavior of microtubules, protein lattices within brain neurons and other living cells. Hameroff developed theories of microtubules as self-organizing molecular computers, and teamed with Sir Roger Penrose on the controversial Penrose-Hameroff “Orch OR” model of consciousness. Based on quantum computing in brain microtubules, Orch OR connects brain activities to the most basic level of the universe — fundamental spacetime geometry at the Planck scale. At that level, Penrose has proposed Platonic information guiding or influencing conscious choices and perceptions. Orch OR could be seen as providing a plausibility argument for non-locality and spirituality. Hameroff is also involved with clinical trials of transcranial ultrasound (TUS) for mood and cognitive dysfunction, and co-organizes the biennial interdisciplinary conference ‘Toward a Science of Consciousness.’