Quantum physics is finally coming of age.  The film The Quantum Activist made famous the line “quantum physics is the physics of possibilities.”  And the idea that consciousness chooses actuality from these possibilities must be getting well known too since even the New York Times columnist David Brooks commented in a recent column that quantum physics has much to say about consciousness.

Nevertheless, when you first encounter the idea that consciousness chooses actuality from quantum possibility, you are bound to be puzzled.  Relax.  It’s okay.  Niels Bohr used to say that anybody who is not puzzled by quantum physics cannot possibly understand it.  Perhaps what puzzles you most is that you have no recollection of making a choice as you observe actualities around you.  You know when you choose your favorite flavor of ice cream to eat.  You know when you choose to raise your arm.  But choosing from quantum possibilities?  “Teach me that one and I will choose myself a BMW,” you will say in jest.

But the quantum connoisseur has an answer for you.  You choose from a “higher” consciousness (call it quantum consciousness) which is unconscious in you.  That’s where choice takes place.  In the unmanifest, in the unconscious.  If you learn to align yourself with the movements of this quantum consciousness, your choices will come true.

Establishment scientists who subscribe to a worldview called scientific materialism flatly declare: the idea that consciousness has anything to do with quantum physics is bah humbug anyway.    Consciousness is a brain phenomenon with no causal power.  And unconscious is voodoo psychology.  Look: there is only one world—the space time matter motion world.  This defines nature.  Reject supernatural ideas.

In classical physics, objects are either particle or wave.  In quantum physics, they are both particle and wave creating confusion.  It seems like a paradox.  Look at the experimental data, these scientific materialists say, and you would not be confused. Experimentally, material objects are both waves and particles.  How can it be that way?  Complementarity!  The wave and the particle are two complementary aspects of the same thing.  What nature it will reveal in a particular experiment depends on the choice of experimental apparatus.  If you want to measure the particle aspect, use a cloud chamber: it will measure the approximate trajectory of the object for you to see.  If you want to measure the wave aspect, use a double slit arrangement.  The result will be a wave interference pattern revealing the object as wave.  Each experiment allows you to see only one aspect at a time, never both together.  That is why these aspects are called complementary.

Indeed, today most textbooks of quantum physics define the complementarity principle this way and claim that this resolves the wave-particle paradox.  No reference to two domains of reality here.

But the truth is, quantum physics would not let you do that.  The idea of unmanifest and unconscious potentia is inherent both in the definition and measurement of quantum objects.

As Werner Heisenberg, the co-discoverer of quantum physics knew, quantum objects are defined by waves of possibility residing in potentia, a domain transcending space and time.  A discontinuous event of collapse converts a wave of possibility to a particle of actuality.

And complementarity, as Niels Bohr knew as well as the ancient Taoist philosophers, is complementarity of transcendent wave and immanent particle (in Taoism, it is complementarity of transcendent yang and immanent yin).  The wave and the particle aspect of the quantum object are not on the same footing.  The two domain reality is essential to define complementarity.

What do the experiments say?  On closer examination, you can see that the wave-revealing experiment is indeed not on the same footing as the particle-reveling experiment.  If you examine a cloud chamber track of an electron, you will have no idea that such an object can also be a wave.  But if you look at the data of double slit, does the data explicitly tell you that the electron is a wave?  Absolutely not.  Each electron still arrives as a particle, as a discrete dot on a photographic plate.  Only the totality of the discrete dots tells you about the interference pattern and the wave nature.  The truth is, we cannot measure the wave nature without first measuring the particle nature, that is, without first collapsing the quantum object.

In summary, we cannot get rid of the idea that reality consists of two domains, not one that scientific materialists claim.  The transcendent domain remains unconscious in us where our consciousness is undivided from its material possibilities.  Collapse converts quantum possibility of the object into the particle that we see; collapse also collapses the brain possibilities into the actual brain state with which we identify and which we use to see the object.  All this is explained in my books and need not be repeated here.

Entangled States

According to the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, entanglement is the characteristic trait of quantum mechanics. In addition to its crucial role for the foundations of physics, entanglement is also a key resource for upcoming quantum information technologies such as quantum cryptography and quantum computation. Entangled particles exhibit correlations which are stronger and more intricate than those allowed by the laws of classical physics. If two particles are in an entangled quantum state, they have perfectly defined joint properties at the expense of losing their individual properties. This is like having two dice which have no orientation until they are subject to measurement, upon which they certainly show the same (random) side up. In contrast, so-called separable quantum states allow for a classical description, because every particle has well-defined properties on its own. Two dice, each one of them with its own well-defined orientation, are in a separable state. Now, one would think that at least the nature of the quantum state must be an objective fact of reality. Either the dice are entangled or not. Zeilinger’s team has now demonstrated in an experiment that this is not always the case.

Exciting realization of a “Gedankenexperiment”

The authors experimentally realized a “Gedankenexperiment” called “delayed-choice entanglement swapping”, formulated by Asher Peres in the year 2000. Two pairs of entangled photons are produced, and one photon from each pair is sent to a party called Victor. Of the two remaining photons, one photon is sent to the party Alice and one is sent to the party Bob. Victor can now choose between two kinds of measurements. If he decides to measure his two photons in a way such that they are forced to be in an entangled state, then also Alice’s and Bob’s photon pair becomes entangled. If Victor chooses to measure his particles individually, Alice’s and Bob’s photon pair ends up in a separable state. Modern quantum optics technology allowed the team to delay Victor’s choice and measurement with respect to the measurements which Alice and Bob perform on their photons. “We found that whether Alice’s and Bob’s photons are entangled and show quantum correlations or are separable and show classical correlations can be decided after they have been measured”, explains Xiao-song Ma, lead author of the study.

According to the famous words of Albert Einstein, the effects of quantum entanglement appear as “spooky action at a distance”. The recent experiment has gone one remarkable step further. “Within a naïve classical word view, quantum mechanics can even mimic an influence of future actions on past events“, says Anton Zeilinger.

Publication in “Nature Physics“:

Even today, the tendency is to look at consciousness dualistically — consciousness separate from matter. This position is not compatible with science; so scientists have emphasized material monism/everything is matter philosophy. We show that this is not compatible with quantum physics. We then develop a fully paradox-free idea of monistic idealism — everything is consciousness. We discuss how a science based on this nondual philosophy succeeds as an inclusive science that can deal with all natural phenomena.

By zapping diamonds with an enormous number of laser beam pulses, physics researchers have created several cases of what Einstein called “spooky action at a distance.”

A team of scientists showed that two diamonds can entangle with one another, meaning that vibrations in one of the crystals share an invisible, long-range connection with vibrations in the other crystal.

“We have been able to demonstrate that even everyday objects can exhibit some of the strange, counterintuitive behavior of quantum physics,” said University of Oxford professor Ian Walmsley, who led the study, published recently in the journal Science.

Until now, scientists had only seen that phenomenon in frozen clusters of atoms.

“One of the weird effects well-known from atomic-scale systems is the possibility of superposition – the ability of an object to be in two places at once,” Walmsley said.

You may have heard of Erwin Schrodinger’s cat thought experiment in which a cat is both alive and dead at the same time because its life depends on an atom that has both decayed and not decayed. This paradox illustrates how bizarre superposition can be.

In the case of Walmsley’s study, photons were showing up in two spots at the same time and causing vibrations within a pair of diamonds. The researchers made it happen by placing two diamonds about 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) apart on a table and then shooting a series of photons at a device called a beam splitter. Most of them went toward one diamond or the other, but a few of the photons went both ways at the same time. When those multitasking photons struck the pair of diamonds, they caused vibrations called phonons with each of the crystals.

The light from each of the beams recombines after exiting the crystals. And sometimes when the light is leaving the crystals, it has less energy than when it entered. That’s how the researchers could tell that the photon had caused some vibrations.

“We know that one diamond is vibrating, but we don’t know which one,” Walmsley said. “In fact, the universe doesn’t know which diamond is vibrating – the diamonds are entangled, with one vibration shared between them, even though they are separated in space.”

Walmsley said that diamonds may someday be used to generate random numbers or store information in next-generation computers, but his colleagues point out that this particular research project does not have any immediate technological applications. It’s just really fascinating, and really confusing, at the same time.

Original Article

But scientists are finding that it may be worth it to train your brain to focus on something as simple as your breath, which is part of mindfulness meditation.

A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the latest in a hot emerging field of research examining how meditation relates to the brain. It shows that people who are experienced meditators show less activity in the brain’s default mode network, when the brain is not engaged in focused thought.

The default mode network is associated with introspection and mind wandering. Typically, drifting thoughts tend to focus on negative subjects, creating more stress and anxiety. It has also been linked to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers looked at experienced meditators and trained novices. There were 12 in the “experienced” category, with an average of more than 10,000 hours of mindfulness meditation experience (Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers” suggests that it takes 10,000 hours to be an expert at something), and 12 healthy volunteers who were novices in meditation.

Each volunteer was instructed to engage in three types of meditation: concentration (attention to the breath), love-kindness (wishing beings well) and choiceless awareness (focus on whatever comes up). Scientists looked at their brain activity during these meditations with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Across all of these types of meditation, the experienced meditators showed less activity in the default mode network than in the novices. The experienced participants also reported less mind wandering than the novices. Interestingly, experienced meditators also showed increased connectivity between certain brain networks during meditation and non-meditation.

“It doesn’t matter what they’re doing, they have an altered default mode network,” said Dr. Judson Brewer, medical director of the Yale University Therapeutic Neuroscience Clinic and lead author of the study. “We were pretty excited about that, because it suggests that these guys are paying attention a lot more.”

From this particular study, researchers can’t say whether meditating is beneficial to the brain. But, viewed in conjunction with other studies showing the positive effects of mindfulness training for depression, substance abuse, anxiety and pain disorders, it seems to have promise. Also, a 2010 study found that people tend to be more unhappy when they their mind is wandering.

“Putting all those together, we might be able to start get at what the mechanisms of mindfulness are,” Brewer said.

But the study does not address the issue of cause: Is meditation changing the brain, or do people who already have these brain patterns get interested in meditation?

“Emerging data from our group and others suggests that some things thought to be result of meditation might be cause of meditation,” said Dr. Charles Raison, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

If some people are just better at keeping their minds from wandering, that would also be consistent with the Buddhist idea that your capabilities are the result of your Karmic path, so meditation may be better suited to some people than others, Raison said.

Someday, if brain scans become cheap enough, one day there might be a test to see who can benefit most from mindfulness training, Raison said.

In the meantime, scientists should explore these open questions by doing longitudinal studies, Raison said. That would involve assigning some people to meditate and some people to not meditate, and following the groups over time to see whether a change in brain activity patterns is visible.

With the theme “Knowledge that Works: From Theory to Practice,” the 2011 ASTC Annual Conference featured more than 100 sessions, which highlighted how science centers and museums are putting new ideas to practical use to serve their communities. The conference was hosted by the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, October 15-18.

Video courtesy of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), representing the science center and museum field worldwide. To learn more, visit www.astc.org. Follow us on Twitter: @ScienceCenters.

Cows are also capable of feeling strong emotions such as pain, fear and even anxiety — they worry about the future. But if farmers provide the right conditions, they can also feel great happiness.

The findings have emerged from studies of farm animals that have found similar traits in pigs, goats, chickens and other livestock. They suggest that such animals may be so emotionally similar to humans that welfare laws need to be rethought.

Christine Nicol, professor of animal welfare at Bristol University, said even chickens may have to be treated as individuals with needs and problems.

“Remarkable cognitive abilities and cultural innovations have been revealed,” she said. “Our challenge is to teach others that every animal we intend to eat or use is a complex individual, and to adjust our farming culture accordingly.”

Nicol will be presenting her findings to a scientific conference to be held in London next month by Compassion in World Farming, the animal welfare lobby group.

John Webster, professor of animal husbandry at Bristol, has just published a book on the topic, Animal Welfare: Limping Towards Eden. “People have assumed that intelligence is linked to the ability to suffer and that because animals have smaller brains they suffer less than humans. That is a pathetic piece of logic,” he said.

Webster and his colleagues have documented how cows within a herd form smaller friendship groups of between two and four animals with whom they spend most of their time, often grooming and licking each other. They will also dislike other cows and can bear grudges for months or years.

Dairy cow herds can also be intensely sexual. Webster describes how the cows become excited when one of the herd comes into heat and start trying to mount her. “Cows look calm, but really they are gay nymphomaniacs,” he said.

Donald Broom, professor of animal welfare at Cambridge University, who is presenting other research at the conference, will describe how cows can also become excited by solving intellectual challenges.

In one study, researchers challenged the animals with a task where they had to find how to open a door to get some food. An electroencephalograph was used to measure their brainwaves.

“Their brainwaves showed their excitement; their heartbeat went up and some even jumped into the air. We called it their Eureka moment,” said Broom.

The assumption that farm animals cannot suffer from conditions that would be considered intolerable for humans is partly based on the idea that they are less intelligent than people and have no “sense of self”.

Increasingly, however, research reveals this to be untrue. Keith Kendrick, professor of neurobiology at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, has found that even sheep are far more complex than realised and can remember 50 ovine faces — even in profile. They can recognise another sheep after a year apart.

Kendrick has also described how sheep can form strong affections for particular humans, becoming depressed by long separations and greeting them enthusiastically even after three years.

The Compassion in World Farming conference will be opened with a keynote speech by Jane Goodall, the primatologist who founded the study of animal sentience with her research into chimpanzees in the early 1960s.

Goodall overturned the then accepted belief that animals were simply automatons showing little individuality or emotions. It has taken many years, however, for scientists to accept that such ideas could be applied to a wide range of other animals.

“Sentient animals have the capacity to experience pleasure and are motivated to seek it,” said Webster. “You only have to watch how cows and lambs both seek and enjoy pleasure when they lie with their heads raised to the sun on a perfect English summer’s day. Just like humans.”

Jonathan Leake, Science Editor

Join the filmmakers at the Beloved Festival, an open air sacred art and music festival on the lush and beautiful oregon coast.

Beloved is a different kind of festival, one that applies ethics, ecological aspects, devotion, sacred music,  and most of all… intention.

We are excited to be there to share “The Quantum Activist” and have a talk after the film. Please join us!

Event Information

• Date: Thursday, August 11th 2011 - Time: 9:00pm
• Venue: Beloved Festival
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This workbook is written to assist enthusiastic viewers of the documentary film The Quantum Activist to go deep into the exploration of quantum activism. It is dedicated to all present and future quantum activists—a special breed of people who will transform themselves and the world using quantum principles with skill.

For best results, the workbook should be studied in a group with a group leader who will lead the discussion. We have setup a discussion group here at the site, and if you have any questions or need help, we’ll be happy to lend a hand.

We recommend setting up study sessions for at least a few weeks. Within the workbook we have given references for further reading and group discussion and some practices to be done both individually and in groups.

We offer this workbook as Creative Commons “share a like”, and hope that you will share it with your friends and colleagues free of charge.