Oracle

by Douglas E. Richards

  “Why would they rein in nanotech?” asked Anna.

  “If I were to guess,” replied Kaitlyn, frowning, “it’s because by now we should be able to perform miracles in this area. I suppose the Gatekeepers believe that if we become adept at building anything we want in the material realm, one atom at a time, we could become invincible, immortal. We could build artificial constructs to beam our consciousness inside, and so on, and eventually bypass their control.”

  Redford opened his mouth to ask another question, but Vega interrupted. “I’m going to have to ask that we table further discussion on these topics. For now. Sorry for cutting you off so abruptly like this, but in the interest of time, I’d like to begin the discussion I brought Anna here to have. The scientific rationale for clairvoyance. And how we propose to enhance her abilities.”

  Anna nodded. “Okay,” she said uneasily, visibly bracing herself. “Let’s do this. I’m all ears.”

  39

  “I’ll ask Kaitlyn to lead the clairvoyance discussion as well,” said Vega.

  Both humans nodded and turned to the most accomplished scientist in the room.

  Kaitlyn paused to decide the best way to begin, and Anna used these few seconds to check her gut. Although she wasn’t picking up any clairvoyant signals, her non-clairvoyant instincts told her that Redford was placing considerable faith in her. In both her good intentions and her intuition. He would be loyal to the cause and trust Vega until he was given reason to do otherwise, although he hadn’t forgotten he and Anna were vulnerable and were putting their lives in the Vorians’ hands.

  If the aliens turned on them, they were unlikely to survive, and then Earth would go back to being blissfully unaware of all that was extraterrestrial on the planet. A disastrous outcome. Yet, despite the colonel’s instinct for caution, he was willing to trust Anna’s call on this.

  It was obvious even to her conscious mind that Steve Redford was in heaven. Getting the chance to have a face-to-face meeting with actual extraterrestrials was something he had dreamed of his entire life. It was a powerful, almost religious experience for him, and he could barely contain his enthusiasm.

  And when it came to enthusiasm, Anna’s intuition also indicated that he was falling for her as much as she was falling for him. A chemical reaction that she was more certain than ever would result in the embrace she had foreseen. This certainty of his interest was driven by signals picked up by her subconscious alone, since it wasn’t as if he had the time for flirtation, or to deliver other overt signs.

  As expected, Anna’s intuition wasn’t able to get a particularly clean read on the aliens calling themselves Lisa Moore and Kaitlyn O’Connor, since her hidden mind had almost no experience with their species. Still, as was the case with Vega, she sensed they had good intentions.

  “How much do the two of you know about consciousness?” began the Vorian chief scientist finally. “About what makes us sentient? What separates us from computers?”

  “I’ve studied this subject fairly thoroughly,” said Redford.

  Anna smiled. “And I know surprisingly little about it,” she admitted. “I’ve mostly focused on the subconscious.”

  Kaitlyn nodded. “Your scientists call it the hard problem of consciousness,” she said. “And in that, they are correct. What makes a squishy three-pound lump of insensate matter suddenly become self-aware? Suddenly have hopes, and dreams, and imagination, and inspiration? Suddenly have an appreciation for the color red, or for the scent of cinnamon?”

  She paused to let the humans consider these questions for a moment. “All biological intelligences across the galaxy are conscious,” she continued. “But why aren’t super sophisticated computers? Many years ago humanity created an artificial intelligence that could beat the best human players in a TV gameshow called Jeopardy. But this AI certainly wasn’t conscious. It could win, but it couldn’t understand what it meant to win, or care in any way. It couldn’t feel pride, or joy, or a sense of accomplishment. It couldn’t feel embarrassment that a human occasionally was able to beat it to the buzzer. Or boredom when it wasn’t engaged. Or excitement when it was working on a challenging problem.

  “Computers can be built to pass the Turing test,” continued Kaitlyn. “To produce responses in conversation that can fool a sentient being into believing that it’s sentient. Like a parrot, mouthing words without comprehension. Following a fixed set of instructions from which it can’t really deviate.

  “But consciousness can deviate. It can be unpredictable, go off script. Respond a different way to the same stimulus. A computer will always respond to the same input with the same output. And yes, those as sophisticated as the colonel here will know this last statement isn’t precisely accurate, but for the sake of our discussion, it’s accurate enough. But it’s safe to say that no computer can marvel at a sunset, have an epiphany, dream of a better future, or regret an action taken in the past.”

  “You’ve framed the question well,” said Redford. “So can we assume you’re going to give us the answer? Tell us the magic ingredient the brain has that a computer doesn’t?”

  “Yes,” said Kaitlyn. “I will in just a moment. But I should tell you that a few of your scientists have figured out the answer on their own. Although it’s an answer that has yet to be accepted by the mainstream.”

  The Vorian chief scientist took a long drink of water, and Anna took the chance to do the same. “What do the two of you know about the quantum realm?” she asked, changing subjects.

  “A fair amount,” said Redford. “I’ve read four or five books on the subject.”

  “Nobody likes a showoff, Steve,” said Anna with a broad grin.

  The colonel laughed.

  “I’ve played audiobooks on quantum physics while I was sleeping,” said Anna. “So my subconscious probably knows all about it. I, on the other hand, know almost nothing. All I know is that when you want something to sound mysterious, and science-fictiony, you just throw the word quantum in front of it.”

  “That’s not too far off,” said Kaitlyn in amusement. “Actually, humanity has learned quite a lot about quantum reality, but is still only scratching the surface. Basically, this field involves the inconceivably small. Much that goes on in the quantum realm is completely counterintuitive to how you’ve come to see reality, but even your scientists have proven these bizarre phenomena beyond the shadow of a doubt. You don’t understand the why of it, or how it could possibly be like this. But you have used quantum theory in your computer industry and elsewhere to revolutionize your world.”

  The chief scientist paused. “I’ll just give you a brief overview of some of the quantum craziness I’m talking about,” she said. “Electromagnetic radiation and other submicroscopic particles in the quantum realm travel as waves of probability. While this is happening, they don’t exist at any given place. In fact, they exist at all places at once. Until a conscious observer takes a look, observes a particle, and then it collapses to a discrete location. Most important for our discussion is the random nature of the quantum realm. Particles mostly collapse to where you’d expect them to be, but they’re all probabilistic, so they could appear anywhere. In fact, particles are constantly popping into existence like magic, and then back out again, like infinite fireflies blinking on and off inside the vacuum of the empty void.”

  She paused to let this sink in. “And this activity is totally random. Strangest of all, when two particles are born, or interact in certain ways, they become what is called entangled. In this state, if one lands heads, the other always lands tails. No matter how far apart they are.”

  Anna blinked in confusion. “I get that heads and tails are just a metaphor for opposite properties,” she said, “but I’m still not following.”

  “I’ll give you a better explanation,” said Kaitlyn. “But even after I do, you won’t be able to wrap your head around it. Einstein never could. Or any of your scientists, for that matter. Your scientists know the truth of it, just not the how or w
hy of it.”

  She paused in thought. “Imagine you entangle two coins and set them spinning. While they’re still spinning you separate them by the length of the entire universe. Then you force one of them to land. Well, if it lands heads, the other will instantly collapse and show tails. And if the first lands tails, the other will collapse and show heads. Instantly. Despite being separated by many billions of light-years. They’re connected somehow across this vast distance, and this connection makes itself known at basically infinite speed.”

  Anna smiled. “Of course it does,” she said sarcastically. “How could Einstein possibly be confused by something as obvious as that?” The detective shook her head. “Look, I think I’ve heard enough quantum science that I’ll never understand. Why does this have anything to do with consciousness?”

  “Because consciousness is a quantum phenomenon,” whispered Redford, almost to himself. “It operates in the quantum realm, which is what introduces randomness into the works. Creates free will, unpredictability. Allows sentient minds to go off script.”

  “Right you are, Colonel,” said Kaitlyn cheerfully. “Consciousness makes use of quantum phenomena that biological systems are uniquely evolved to tap into. But which electronic systems are not. Even quantum computers can’t make use of quantum properties in the same way that biological systems can. This quantum weirdness, as your people have so often called it, is what ultimately allows sentient minds to become self-aware. And your scientists will eventually learn that the quantum world is much weirder even than they think it is.”

  “Okay,” said Anna. “I understand very little of what you’ve been saying, but this makes some sense to me.”

  “Good,” said Kaitlyn. “It makes sense to many of your scientists, also—in theory. But only a few think that it’s possible. Your physicists have only been able to create the quantum effects consciousness would require in the lab, under very complicated and restrictive conditions. These conditions include ultra-cold temperatures and sophisticated shielding to protect against even the slightest interference. Until very recently, none of your physicists could conceive of the necessary quantum phenomena taking place in such a warm, wet, and noisy environment as the brain.”

  Redford’s eyes widened. “Are you saying the Penrose-Hameroff model is right?” he said in awe. “Do you know this for certain?”

  “You really are quite impressive,” said Kaitlyn with a smile. “For a human being,” she added, attempting her first joke. “But for Anna’s benefit, let’s back up.”

  She turned to the detective. “Colonel Redford is referencing a theory introduced by Stuart Hameroff, an anesthesiologist, several decades ago, and Sir Roger Penrose, a legendary mathematical physicist. Hameroff was always fascinated by the hard problem of consciousness, and took up anesthesiology to pursue this further.”

  “Why anesthesiology?” asked Anna.

  “The brain of a human patient under anesthesia is basically normal in every way,” replied the chief scientist, “with one notable exception. It isn’t conscious. Neurons fire, pain signals travel normally, and so on. But the pain never registers. Somehow, everything works just fine, all except subjective experiences, which are eliminated.”

  Anna nodded thoughtfully. “Very interesting,” she said. “So what theory did he come up with?”

  “Like others, Hameroff thought it made sense that consciousness was a quantum effect,” replied Kaitlyn. “But neurons were too large to make use of these effects. So he theorized that structures called microtubules were the actual engine of the brain. These tiny, sub-microscopic structures are like the Legos of the biological world, found in every plant and animal cell on Earth. They’re very versatile. They act as structural elements in the cell, pull chromosomes apart during cell division, form into cilia and flagella to allow for cellular movement, and so on.

  “Hameroff concluded that these microtubules were the key structures in the brain, even more so than neurons, after studying paramecia.”

  Anna rolled her eyes. “Of course he did,” she said. “Because when you think about human consciousness, you think about paramecia.”

  Redford laughed again as Kaitlyn continued, her expression unchanged. “Paramecia are single-celled, freshwater animals,” she explained, “that have no central nervous system, no brain, and no neurons. Still, they’re able to swim, find food, find mates, and avoid danger. These are rudimentary responses. Still, Hameroff came to believe that these responses required a form of crude cognition, which he concluded had to take place in microtubules, the paramecium’s only internal structure.”

  “This is fascinating,” said Anna, “but just to fast-forward, are you saying that Hameroff was right? Is that what you’re getting at?”

  “Yes,” replied Kaitlyn simply. “Microtubules are the key ingredient for human consciousness, and are able to exhibit quantum effects. Even in the warm, wet, and noisy environment of the brain.”

  “I’ll be damned,” said Redford. “Even though Hameroff teamed up with Penrose, who had a stellar reputation, their theory has been ridiculed for decades.”

  “This is true,” said Kaitlyn. “But your scientists are beginning to generate evidence that supports it. I estimate that in another seven to ten years, it will be hailed as the breakthrough that it is.”

  “What evidence?” said Redford.

  “For one thing,” replied Kaitlyn, “your scientists are coming to believe that photosynthesis relies on quantum effects. That it couldn’t be as efficient as it is without them. And if quantum effects can take place in plants, why can’t they take place in the brain?”

  She paused. “Other recent experiments speak directly to microtubules in the brain. Anesthetic drugs have been shown to destabilize them. If you protect the microtubules from this effect, the drugs no longer work. This leaves little doubt that microtubules play some role in consciousness. And if you apply a current to microtubules inside axons, this can cause neurons to fire, or to stop firing. In fact, it’s been found that these microtubules can resonate like guitar strings, firing thousands of times faster than neurons. Not only that, but when specific charges of alternating currents are applied, the microtubules take on the electrical properties of a semiconductor, which is truly a stunning result.”

  “Fascinating,” said the colonel.

  “I’m not trying to diminish the importance of what you’re telling us,” said Anna. “But even if microtubules are the magic ingredient leading to consciousness, what does this have to do with clairvoyance?”

  “Everything,” said Kaitlyn simply. “All twenty-eight known intelligent species have a form of these structures in their brains. They’re all different, but they largely serve the same purpose. But human microtubules, and human minds, are unique. First, your microtubules are much more active in the subconscious than in the conscious. And unlike the rest of the known intelligences, human microtubules are able to receive quantum signals from the future—which are continuously being broadcast back.”

  Anna’s eyes narrowed. “Continuously being broadcast back?” she repeated. “What in the hell does that mean?”

  “Time travel is impossible,” said Kaitlyn. “This much is true. But in the quantum realm, future events affect the present. Your scientists are only now beginning to appreciate this. You call it retrocausality. Cause and effect in reverse. What you eat tomorrow gives you a stomachache today. Your fall tomorrow causes a bruise today. Like that, but in the quantum realm.”

  “That sounds ridiculous,” said Anna.

  “I know it does,” said Kaitlyn. “But the ridiculous is par for the course in the quantum world. It’s well known, even to humans, that the laws of physics work perfectly well in either time direction: forward or backward. Richard Feynman showed that anti-matter is identical, mathematically, to ordinary matter traveling backward in time. He used this insight to develop a tool, called Feynman diagrams, that revolutionized nearly every aspect of theoretical physics. So much so that he was awarded the Nobel
Prize for this work.”

  Kaitlyn paused. “There are experiments that even your scientists have done that hint at retrocausality, but they’re much too complicated to describe, and require knowledge of advanced mathematics. Some involve the entanglement phenomenon, which suggest that the instantaneous signaling between two particles separated by staggering distances can only be explained by communication through time. It’s also known to your science that if you take two radioactive atoms, absolutely identical in every conceivable way, they will decay randomly. The first might decay immediately, while the second doesn’t do the same for an hour or more. Why the difference? After all, they’re identical. Scientists have never found any way to explain it, or predict when this decay will occur. But evidence is slowly emerging, even here on Earth, that this is because the information that controls the fate of these particles doesn’t come from the past or present. It comes from the future. Cause and effect in reverse.”

  The colonel looked mesmerized. “So let me get this right,” he began. “You’re saying that not only can Anna’s microtubules read these quantum signals from the future, but her mind can actually make sense of them.”

  “Exactly,” replied Kaitlyn. “Yours can too. All human minds can. But this takes place solely in the subconscious, so only one in five million of you has any chance of becoming aware of it. We believe this ability to see the future is so rare because it was weeded out by natural selection. The conscious minds of your primitive ancestors had more than enough information to sort through in their present, without becoming befuddled by an avalanche of sometimes opaque information coming from their future. Perhaps those who became engrossed in these future visions neglected the present, with disastrous consequences. Cause and effect, and immediacy, provide simple rules for survival. A maelstrom of threats coming from an indeterminate time in the future would slow reaction times and attention. Potentially lethal in primitive times, when humanity faced a constant battle for survival.”