Stuart Hameroff Free Public Talk

(Credit: POP Narcotic)

Is Your Brain Really a Computer? Or is it a Quantum Orchestra?

Tucson, Arizona, October 12, 2015 – Since the early 1990’s Stuart Hameroff, MD., anesthesiologist, Emeritus Professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology, and the Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies, together with the famed physicist Sir Roger Penrose have combined two intriguing ideas that have far reaching consequences in decoding and deciphering our understanding of the brain and consciousness. These ideas are centered on Quantum Mechanics and Neuroscience establishing a ‘quantum theory of consciousness called “Orch OR” (orchestrated objective reduction) that links microtubule quantum processes to fluctuations in the structure of the universe.’

Recent studies suggests that consciousness may indeed be a Quantum Mechanical phenomenon. Dr. Hameroff will be presenting his fascinating research, which appeared in the Huffington Post ‘Is Your Brain Really a Computer? Or is it a Quantum Orchestra ?’ (07/09/2015), at the SASTPC Speaker Series free public talk.

WHAT: “Is Your Brain Really a Computer? Or is it a Quantum Orchestra?” Free Public Talk
WHO: Stuart Hameroff MD., anesthesiologist, Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology, and Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies at Banner-University Medical Center, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
WHEN: Friday, November 20, 2015 at 4:00 PM
WHERE: 1500 E University Boulevard, ILC Bldg., Room #130

Let Us Know You’re Coming!

Light refreshments will be provided. Video will be uploaded to YouTube after the talk.

SASTPC is a 501(c)3 collaborating with the University of Arizona Philosophy Department in presenting the Speaker Series, a free public lecture that encourages a broader appeal of scientific ideas.

SASTPC Stuart Hameroff Press Release

Physics in the News

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Leaky galaxies lead researchers to better understand the universe

This is Sanchayeeta Borthakur, assistant research scientist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Johns Hopkins University. (Photo Credit: JHU) — Sanchayeeta Borthakur, an assistant research scientist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the university’s Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, reports in a paper published online Oct. 9 in the journal Science that an indicator used for studying star-forming galaxies that leak radiation is an effective measurement tool for other scientists to use. (Credit: JHU)

via sciencecodex

L.A. Museum Adds the Last Payload to Shuttle Endeavour

141010-shuttle_c92e33917bf64aaa38d9790b47f34c7f.nbcnews-ux-1240-800 — During an event titled “Go for Payload,” the California Science Center in Los Angeles hoisted a Spacehab module into the open hold of the retired space shuttle Endeavour. The logistics module’s addition, together with several other real and replica parts, marked a major milestone towards the center’s plans to display the NASA winged orbiter in a vertical, launch-ready configuration. (Pearlman, CollectSpace.com)

Topological defects in the fabric of space and time

A cosmic string is a very long (possibly as long as the diameter of the visible universe), very thin (less than the width of a proton) high-density object formed during the early moments of the big bang. (Credit: Stae Trek, Paramount Pictures)

The Moon and the Oh-My-God Particle

Close up artist rendition. Image of the Australian SKA LFAA (Low Frequency Aperture Array) instrument. These dipole antenna which will number in their hundreds of thousands will survey the radio sky in frequencies as low at 50Mhz (Credit: SKA Organisation)

via popularmechanics

On the front lines of the Higgs boson search

Prof. Butterworth, leading physicist on the ATLAS experiment at CERN and head of physics and astronomy at University College London, said the two colliding proton beams at CERN were the highest energy particle beams ever used in a laboratory. In order for the high momentum beams to be bent into a circle, its curvature had to be gentle enough for superconducting magnets to be able to control the beams. (Credit: hep.ucl.ac.uk/~jmb/publications) — Prof. Butterworth, leading physicist on the ATLAS experiment at CERN and head of physics and astronomy at University College London, said the two colliding proton beams at CERN were the highest energy particle beams ever used in a laboratory. (Credit: hep.ucl.ac.uk/~jmb/publications)

Peering backward to the big bang with the CTC and COSMOS

(NASA, Shellard,) — Recent analysis of CMB observations confirm predictions that a period of enormously fast exponential expansion, which cosmologists call inflation, occurred in the early universe. During inflation, very small changes, or quantum fluctuations, were imprinted into the fabric of space-time. (NASA, Shellard,)

Answers to questions posed by cosmology to philosophy

the philosophy of cosmology. He commented that the field is not well formulated yet, and proposed that one way to build a sound foundation for the field would be to identify the key questions worthy of its attention. Carroll nominated 10 such questions. Credit: Carroll) — Sean Caroll purposes 10 questions regarding the ‘not well formulated’ Philosophy of Cosmology. (Credit: Carroll)

via sciencenews

Getting sharp images from dull detectors

Coherent light passes through a pair of slits (top center). The two resulting concentric trains of waves will interfere, resulting in a fixed pattern when measured by a detector (top right). Non-coherent thermal light passes through slits and meets with a beam splitter (green plane), which reflects half the waves toward one detector and the other half toward a second detector (lower left). Each of the detectors records a temporary interference pattern (lower right). (Credit: JQI/Kelley )

via umd

NASA: More spacewalks for ISS crew

via floridatoday

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, October 10 – 18

The waning Moon and Orion tip to the southwest as dawn brightens. (The Moon in these scenes is always shown three times its actual apparent size.. (Credit: Sky and Telescope)

via skyandtelescope

Physics in the News

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

UW fusion reactor concept could be cheaper than coal

The UW’s current fusion experiment, HIT-SI3. It is about one-tenth the size of the power-producing dynomak concept. (Credit: U of Washington)

via washington.edu

Researchers achieve quantum teleporting

Tipping the spherical cow: The initial conditions of star formation

Gas column density 5 Myr after stars begin forming in the “real” Clouds (left panels) and corresponding Spheres (right panels). The Spheres begin forming stars 5-6 Myr after t=0, so the figure shows simulations at a similar stage of star formation. Clouds show more widespread star formation, and alignment of their major gas filaments along the larger-scale structures present in the galaxy. Part of Figure 2 from Rey-Raposo, Dobbs & Duarte-Cabral 2014. — Gas column density 5 Myr after stars begin forming in the “real” Clouds (left panels) and corresponding Spheres (right panels). The Spheres begin forming stars 5-6 Myr after t=0, so the figure shows simulations at a similar stage of star formation. Clouds show more widespread star formation, and alignment of their major gas filaments along the larger-scale structures present in the galaxy. (Credit: Rey-Raposo, Dobbs & Duarte-Cabral 2014)

Breakthrough allows researchers to watch molecules “wiggle”

Difference electron density maps showing the comparison of control and HATRX data for thaumatin. (Credit: University of Leeds)

Monster galaxies resort to cannibalism to keep growing

Larger galaxies are unable to create new stars at a rapid enough pace so they start to “eat” stars in neighboring galaxies. (Photo By Nasa/Getty Images)

via cbs

Aliens may be too distant for contact

The SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is hunting for radio signals from hypothetical intelligent alien life in our galaxy. (Credit: SETI) Institute — The SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is hunting for radio signals from hypothetical intelligent alien life in our galaxy. (Credit: SETI) Institute

How NASA plans to utilize lasers in order to draw 3D maps of the earth’s forests

NASA has a new project underway called GEDI. The sole purpose of GEDI is to point a laser-based device at Earth from the International Space Station in order to map out forests in 3D, eventually determining the amount of carbon in Earth’s forests. (Credit: NASA's Goddard Space) — NASA has a new project underway called GEDI. The sole purpose of GEDI is to point a laser-based device at Earth from the International Space Station in order to map out forests in 3D, eventually determining the amount of carbon in Earth’s forests. (Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space)

via industrytap

Sierra Nevada protest halts production of SpaceX and Boeing s pace taxis

The Wait For Space A look through the open hatch of SpaceX's Dragon V2 capsule, one of two designs chosen for NASA's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program. Both Boeing and SpaceX have been told to halt production of their space taxi designs until a protest filed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation has been resolved. (Credit: NASA) — A look through the open hatch of SpaceX’s Dragon V2 capsule, one of two designs chosen for NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program. Both Boeing and SpaceX have been told to halt production of their space taxi designs until a protest filed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation has been resolved. (Credit: NASA)

Three win Nobel for super-zoom microscopes

German winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry Stefan Hell gestures at a small party with his colleagues in Goettingen, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. Hell shares the prize with Americans Eric Betzig and William E. Moerner for developing ways to dramatically improve the resolution of optical microscopes. Hell developed the underlying technology for R&D 100 Awards-winning super-resolution microscopes from Leica. (Credit AP/dpa, Swen Pfoertner)

Newly discovered letter gives a rare glimpse into Einstein’s personal views on life

he Einstein Papers Project, a group of scholars devoted to collecting and transcribing Einstein’s works and publishing The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein both online and in printed format, have collected thousands of Einstein’s letters, both those from him and to him. But this exchange is new. (Credit: The Telegraph) — The Einstein Papers Project, a group of scholars devoted to collecting and transcribing Einstein’s works and publishing The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein both online and in printed format, have collected thousands of Einstein’s letters, both those from him and to him. But this exchange is new. (Credit: The Telegraph)

Physics in the News

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Invention of blue LEDs receives physics Nobel

via bbc

Blood Moon total lunar eclipse coming up

New mechanism of photoconduction could lead to next-generation excitonic devices

Shown here is the crystal structure of molybdenite, MoS2. When hit with a burst of laser light, freed electrons and holes combine to form combinations called trions, consisting of two electrons and one hole (represented here by orange and green balls). (Credit: Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT) — Shown here is the crystal structure of molybdenite, MoS2. When hit with a burst of laser light, freed electrons and holes combine to form combinations called trions, consisting of two electrons and one hole, represented here by orange and green balls. (Credit: Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT)

via mit

A huge new neutrino experiment is up and running at Fermilab

Construction of Noνa, apparently the biggest free-standing plastic structure in the world. And a neutrino detector. Photograph: FNAL — Construction of Noνa, apparently the biggest free-standing plastic structure in the world. And a neutrino detector. (Credit: FNAL)

via theguardian

NASA’s Orion capsule floats inside US Navy ship

A test version of NASA's Orion capsule floats in the rear of the USS Anchorage during a recovery drill off the coast of California September 15, 2014. Orion is NASA's next exploration spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts to destinations in deep space, including an asteroid and Mars. Picture taken September 15, 2014. (Credit: REUTERS/Mike Blake) — A test version of NASA’s Orion capsule floats in the rear of the USS Anchorage during a recovery drill off the coast of California September 15, 2014. Orion is NASA’s next exploration spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts to destinations in deep space, including an asteroid and Mars. Picture taken September 15, 2014. (Credit: REUTERS/Mike Blake)

How big data is fueling a new age in space exploration

A few major factors will drive exponential growth in the amount of terabytes falling on us from the skies over the next couple of decades: the increasing speed of commercial satellite deployment, implementation of faster communication technology, and the onset of interplanetary missions. (Credit: SKA Telescope, Golubovich)

via venturebeat

The difficulty of using the Doppler shift to measure the wobble of a star

One of the biggest advances of astronomy in the past decade has been the discovery of planets orbiting other stars, known as exoplanets. But just how many exoplanets have been discovered? According to the Extrasolar Planet Encyclopedia, a semi-official catalog based in Europe, there were as of the end of September last year 990 confirmed exoplanets and 2,321 candidate exoplanets. (Credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation) — How many exoplanets have been discovered? According to the Extrasolar Planet Encyclopedia, a semi-official catalog based in Europe, there were as of the end of September last year 990 confirmed exoplanets and 2,321 candidate exoplanets. (Credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation)

Pressing the accelerator on quantum robotics

The theoretical work has focused on using quantum computing to accelerate the machine learning. (Credit: SINC)

via sciencedaily

How much should a robot be allowed to hurt its coworkers?

, a collaborative robot from Rethink Robotics, works on a mocked-up assembly line. (Credit: Rethink Robotics) — A collaborative robot from Rethink Robotics, works on a mocked-up assembly line. Setting limits on the level of pain a robot may (accidentally) inflict on a human is a crucial goal of the first safety standards being drawn up for these “collaborative” robots. (Credit: Rethink Robotics, Simonite)

via technologyreview

Why ‘Frankenstein’ Robots Could Be the Future of Artificial Intelligence

via motherboard

Why didn’t they win? 10 huge discoveries without a Nobel Prize

Thomas Edison is famous for his lightbulb, but he never won a Nobel Prize. (Credit: AFP/Getty)

via nationalgeographic

Physics in the News

Friday, September 26, 2014

New molecule found in space connotes life origins

The vibrant, starry stream of the Milky Way frames radio telescopes of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array - known as the ALMA Observatory - in Chile’s Atacama Desert. (Credit: Y. Beletsky/ESO) — The vibrant, starry stream of the Milky Way frames radio telescopes of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array – known as the ALMA Observatory – in Chile’s Atacama Desert. (Credit: Y. Beletsky/ESO)

Black holes declared non-existent again.

Two international teams of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes in Australia and Chile have discovered the first examples of isolated stellar-mass black holes adrift among the stars in our galaxy. (Credit: NASA/ESA, D. Bennett)

via backreaction

First Quantum Logic Operation For An Integrated Photonic Chip

The first teleportation of a photon inside a photonic chip illustrates both the potential for quantum computation and the significant challenges that lay ahead.

via technologyreview

Cold Atom Laboratory Chills Atoms to New Lows

rtist's concept of an atom chip for use by NASA's Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) aboard the International Space Station. CAL will use lasers to cool atoms to ultracold temperatures. (Credit: NASA) — rtist’s concept of an atom chip for use by NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) aboard the International Space Station. CAL will use lasers to cool atoms to ultracold temperatures. (Credit: NASA)

via jpl

A dramatic recent “discovery” in physics is looking rather dodgy

A paper just released by the team behind Planck, a European space telescope, casts serious doubt on the BICEP-2 result. (Credit: D. Simonds)

Craig Nelson claims that the atomic era is in its twilight years

"The atomic age is an incredible epoch, filled with people we think we know already—from Marie Curie and Albert Einstein to Ronald Reagan and the plant workers of Fukushima—but they all turn out to be a lot more complicated and interesting than any of us could’ve imagined," says Nelson.(Credit: Helvio Faria) — “The atomic age is an incredible epoch, filled with people we think we know already—from Marie Curie and Albert Einstein to Ronald Reagan and the plant workers of Fukushima—but they all turn out to be a lot more complicated and interesting than any of us could’ve imagined,” says Nelson. (Credit: Helvio Faria)

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