766: Stuart Hameroff
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello!
Welcome back to the DTFH. Before we get going with this incredible, mind-blowing, mind-bending, consciousness-exploring episode, I would love for you to come and see me do some live stand-up in Detroit. I'm going to be there October 23rd through the 25th at Mic Drop Comedy. I love you, Detroit, and I'm excited to get back to the city of machine elves. Today's guest. came across my radar screen and yours probably a few years ago. Dr. Stuart Hameroff is an anesthesiologist who has come up with a theory of where or why consciousness happens within the brain. way outside my pay grade and IQ grade. So I'm not even going to try to describe it here other than to say you've probably heard about his research into nanotubules within the human brain that have within them a kind of
protein lattice structure within which highly complex computations emerge that could help us understand that consciousness is happening at a deeper level than the current which is it's the neurons, ones and zeros, that perhaps it's infinitely more complex. And I say infinitely more complex to say I don't understand at all what's going on with his research because I am not an anesthesiologist. I am not... obviously a neurologist, but what's so impressive about Dr. Hameroff is that somehow he was able to articulate to someone with my skillset this theory in a way that i could understand which means i think you'll be able to understand it if you like this conversation with stewart i hope you will check out the tsc 2026 which is happening in san diego this october that's the science of consciousness 2026 uh dr hameroff will be there along with other brilliant
philosophers, scientists, neurologists, people who have devoted their lives to studying consciousness. Roger Penrose is going to be there. I might even go and visit. It just seems so cool. You're so lucky if you live in San Diego. Go to this thing. It's going to be so fascinating. But first, listen to this great episode. Everybody, please welcome to the DTFH, Dr. Stuart Hameroff. Thank you so much for coming on the show, Stu. It is so incredible to meet you. I've been marveling at your research for some time now. It's just wild. But before we get into that, you just made me think of something. It's been a real pain in the ass to get people to go to sleep for a lot of human history, right? And it's useful. Put somebody under, you could set a bone, you can fix them.
While they're awake, they wriggle, they scream. So this is a real problem. And
as an
anesthesiologist, I guess you must study the history of anesthesia. I've never thought of it until just this moment. What's the earliest record of anesthesia out there?
In ancient times, cultures used drugs that were available, poppy, other things, and just to sedate people and go from there. There were some other things like pressing the carotids to knock somebody out, which... And then they would come back, hopefully. And the Incas in Peru, actually, for local anesthesia. So local anesthetics is when you just numb the surface, like lidocaine or marcaine or something. And they actually used, the shamans would chew cocaine and spit into the wound to make it numb, because cocaine is a local anesthetic. So that kind of stuff went on. And then other drugs came in, alcohol. biting a bullet, that sort of thing. And then in the 19th century, they discovered these gases that if you inhale them at low concentrations, cause euphoria.
People got giddy, like ether. And they had parties called ether frolics or laughing gas, nitrous oxide. So people were using them as social events. You could say abusing them or just getting high and happy. But if they... breathe more they became unconscious and somebody figured out and as long as they kept on breathing and didn't vomit and aspirate into their lungs uh they did fine they woke up just fine so uh uh guys and uh they fight about who was the first i think the americans were first the guy in georgia in uh 1846 uh used uh diethyl ether i think and then uh and i wrote about it but uh
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–15:52
2
What is the historical background of anesthesia and its link to consciousness?
15:52–28:20
3
How does Penrose’s objective‑reduction theory explain quantum consciousness?
28:20–44:43
4
Why do microtubules matter for memory and the holographic brain hypothesis?
44:43–56:07
5
What evidence supports biological time‑crystals in microtubules?
56:07–1:07:21
6
How can ultrasound be used to modulate microtubule activity and mood?
1:07:21–1:11:11