James Tagg Reports 2025 Quantum Test Supporting Penrose Consciousness Theory
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 4
James Tagg Reports 2025 Quantum Test Supporting Penrose Consciousness Theory
1 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 4
Summary
A 2025 preprint by engineer James Tagg says a superconducting quantum-computer experiment produced results consistent with Penrose’s objective-reduction model rather than standard quantum measurement.
That matters because Penrose and Stuart Hameroff’s Orch-OR theory ties consciousness to gravity-linked quantum collapse in neuronal microtubules, not to ordinary algorithmic neural computation.
The paper does not test brains or microtubules directly, has not been peer reviewed, and is presented as evidence for a physical collapse mechanism rather than proof of consciousness.
Skepticism remains strong: critics argue the warm, wet brain should destroy quantum coherence too quickly, and a 2022 Gran Sasso experiment found no support for the simplest collapse version relevant to microtubules.
Further underground collapse tests and work on whether microtubules can sustain biologically relevant coherence are likely to determine whether Penrose’s long-running idea gains ground or narrows further.
Could anesthetics prove consciousness is a quantum process by showing how it's switched off in the brain?
If our brains are not classical computers, what does this quantum theory imply for the future of AI?
2025 Quantum Computer Experiment Reveals Possible Gravitational Collapse of the Wavefunction: Testing the Penrose-Hameroff Orch-OR Theory
Overview
In April 2025, James Tagg and his team at Valis Corporation published a groundbreaking experiment using an IBM Eagle 127-qubit quantum computer to test Sir Roger Penrose's gravitational collapse hypothesis. By employing a partial measurement technique, they manipulated a tiny mass within the quantum circuit to create an 'improper mixture,' aiming to observe if gravity could cause wavefunction collapse as Penrose predicted. This innovative approach marks the first reported attempt to demonstrate gravitationally induced collapse on a public quantum computer, offering new insights into the fundamental nature of quantum measurement and the possible role of gravity in shaping reality.