The Giants Shoulder #45 Meet the Scientist Who Brought Quantum Mechanics to Biology!
Johnjoe McFadden is a molecular geneticist, consciousness theorist, and best-selling co-author of Life on the Edge — the book that brought quantum mechanics into biology and shattered how we think about life itself.
He pioneered the first fully electronic rapid diagnostic test for deadly diseases like meningitis and COVID, and his groundbreaking work helped create the field of quantum biology — showing how enzymes, photosynthesis, even bird migration rely on quantum weirdness to function.
His bold CEMI Field Theory claims that your consciousness isn’t locked in your neuron's at all — it’s broadcast through your brain’s electromagnetic field. If true, it could finally solve the binding problem and change everything we know about the mind.
Expect to learn why life depends on quantum particles dancing through your cells, how robins literally see the Earth’s magnetic field, why DNA mutations may be driven by quantum tunnelling, why quantum biology might hold the key to free will, and how the brain’s invisible field could be the seat of your conscious experience — plus what that means for AI, evolution, and the very nature of reality...
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:50 Introduction to Quantum Biology
04:49 Bird Navigation and Quantum Mechanics
16:47 The Spark of Interest in Quantum Biology
24:38 Quantum Mechanics in Biological Processes
26:48 Challenges of Quantum Mechanics in Biology
32:34 Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics
50:00 The Nature of Light and Time
50:30 Photon Journey: From Sun to Retina
51:27 Consciousness and Electromagnetic Fields
53:18 Unified Information in the Brain
54:47 The Brain's Electromagnetic Field and Consciousness
56:16 Fields vs. Matter: Understanding Consciousness
57:39 Quantum Mechanics and Consciousness
58:50 The Interaction of Neural Circuits and EM Fields
61:06 Conscious Behaviour and EM Field Dynamics
01:03:25 Neuron's as Receivers of Electromagnetic Information
01:05:42 The Relationship Between Brain and EM Field
01:06:40 Unconscious Information and EM Field Integration
01:13:53 Non-Conscious vs. Conscious Processing
01:17:25 Intuition and Unconscious Integration
01:22:46 The Role of EEG in Consciousness Research
01:23:36 Consciousness in Bacteria and Animals
01:28:16 Panpsychism and the Nature of Consciousness
01:28:23 The Future of AI and Consciousness
...
📚 RECOMMENDED READINGLife on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology: https://amzn.to/4lQQey0
Life is Simple: How Occam's Razor Set Science Free And Unlocked the Universe: https://amzn.to/3IMuCEk
Quantum Evolution: Life in the Multiverse: https://amzn.to/450UvsR…
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