Consciousness in the Universe: A Review of the 'Orch OR' Theory
Stuart Hameroff, Roger Penrose
Physics of Life Reviews, Vol. 11, No. 1
Summary
Definitive review of Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR), the most-cited consciousness theory in physics venues. Hameroff and Penrose propose that consciousness arises from biologically orchestrated quantum processes in neuronal microtubules, terminating via the Diosi-Penrose objective reduction scheme and connecting brain biomolecular processes to the fundamental structure of spacetime. The 2014 update incorporates developments in quantum biology and introduces beat-frequency microtubule vibrations as a candidate source of EEG correlates of consciousness, while affirming that consciousness plays an intrinsic role in the universe.
Abstract
The nature of consciousness, the mechanism by which it occurs in the brain, and its ultimate place in the universe are unknown. We proposed in the mid 1990's that consciousness depends on biologically 'orchestrated' coherent quantum processes in collections of microtubules within brain neurons, that these quantum processes correlate with, and regulate, neuronal synaptic and membrane activity, and that the continuous Schrodinger evolution of each such process terminates in accordance with the specific Diosi-Penrose (DP) scheme of 'objective reduction' ('OR') of the quantum state. This orchestrated OR activity ('Orch OR') is taken to result in moments of conscious awareness and/or choice. The DP form of OR is related to the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and space-time geometry, so Orch OR suggests that there is a connection between the brain's biomolecular processes and the basic structure of the universe. Here we review Orch OR in light of criticisms and developments in quantum biology, neuroscience, physics and cosmology. We also introduce a novel suggestion of 'beat frequencies' of faster microtubule vibrations as a possible source of the observed electro-encephalographic ('EEG') correlates of consciousness. We conclude that consciousness plays an intrinsic role in the universe.
Citation
Stuart Hameroff, Roger Penrose. (2014). Physics of Life Reviews. Vol. 11. No. 1. DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2013.08.002
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2013.08.002Related Papers
The Meyler-Fuchs Hybrid Warp Drive
Nicholas Meyler · 2026
Parapsychology and Researching the UAP Experience
Eric Ouellet · 2025
How Much Time Do We Have Before Catastrophic Disclosure Occurs?
Matthew Szydagis · 2025
Estimates of radiative energy values in ground-level observations of an unidentified aerial phenomenon: New physical data
Jacques F. Vallee et al. · 2025